


Dragonkin - Book 1: The Black Brood

by Weatherwax



Series: Dragonkin [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Action/Adventure, Ambiguous moral sets, Assassins, Bigotry & Prejudice, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Characters are all "white" for a reason, Dark Fantasy, F/F, F/M, Gen, Infanticide, M/M, Magic, Mind Control, Monsters, Multi, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, Slow Romance, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Work In Progress, mature themes, medieval setting, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-17 05:22:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 69,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5855701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weatherwax/pseuds/Weatherwax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Legends say that mighty dragons flew across the land, pretty much ignoring humanity's existence below.</p><p>Until, of course, the bloody stupid Black king decided the dragons' power would look better on him. </p><p>Five thousand years later, the  Black, White and Red Dragonkin are trapped in their continent, with only each other, the monsters and the Browns they sired  for company. </p><p>And another bloody stupid king has risen among the Blacks, one even more dangerous than the first. </p><p> </p><p>*DISCLAIMER* - my original characters, world, plot. Please do not recreate or repost elsewhere without permission. This is a work in progress. Fire away, I need constructive criticism.<br/>There is CG artwork and maps I've made for this book in the Dragonkin Artwork companion piece.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story won't have set update dates. It's still a work in progress, and world-building is hard. It won't be left alone for months or years on end though. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think of it. Even if you don't like it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to put the prologue back after having people ask for it, to better understand the story. It's here and tbqh I'm happy it is, since it only gives a very brief overlook at how the Dragonkin universe works.

Legends say that mighty winged lizards called dragons flew across the land; that they fed on the fruits of a giant blood-red tree, the only plant to thrive in the northern ice lands, and roosted on the Hand's peaks – five jagged stone peaks that formed a hand around the ice island where the tree grew.

Back then, some say, men of different colors and sizes sailed to and from strange and wonderful places, and no monsters roamed the earth.

The dragons and the men had nothing to do with each other. Men did not bother the great fire-breathing beasts, who in turn ignored them completely, especially during the summer. People said that since they breathed fire, the dragons were naturally hotter than all other animals, and so they avoided the warmer lands in the hottest time of the year.

One stormy spring night, the king of the Blacks received a prophecy through a dream, and called the leaders of the other two noble families that ruled in the continent, the Whites and the Reds, for an urgent meeting.

"Providence has given us a mission, brothers. The fruit of the Blood Tree contain magic, magic that the dragons consume and waste in their animal frolicking. We must harvest the fruit for the good of mankind with it we will become all-powerful!" he said.

"Are you insane? The Blood Tree is too tall for us to climb, and the fruit are eaten before they ripen enough to fall from it. How do you propose we take them?" the leader of the Red kingdom asked.

"The first fruit to ripen are always those at the very uppermost branches. I saw that through my dream. We will light a giant bonfire at the bottom of the tree in the dog days of summer, when they are beginning to, but the dragons are still hiding from the heat. The fire will last for a fortnight, and at the end of that time, the tree will fall, bringing with it the fruit. The stupid beasts won't even know what happened," the Black king explained.

The White king cleared his throat then.

"Ok, what's the catch?"

"What do you mean catch?" the Black king asked in a wary tone.

"The catch, Black. Prophecies always come with a catch, something that might go wrong. Spit it out, I'm not going to agree to anything that might end up with me or mine burnt into a crisp."

Black sighed, and let his raven locks fall upon his face as he lowered to hide a scowl.

"In the dream, the sap from the fallen tree contaminated the waters, and all humans who hadn't eaten its fruit died. And some monsters began roaming the land, but nothing we couldn't deal with. A small price for all the power contained in that tree! A power that rightfully belongs to us!"

White deadpanned at him.

"Prove that there will be enough fruit for all our kin combined, _then_ I might consider," he said, and smirked, raising a flawless white eyebrow.

Red chuckled, nodding.

"Yes. If you prove we can all partake of this power you want so much, we'll do it."

Unnoticed, a tiny wisp of dark smoke spiraled out the window.

The next day, the Black king met the others for breakfast, and was greeted with their astonished faces.

"We had the same dream!" both kings announced.

And so the three clans came together and destroyed the Blood Tree, consuming its fruit and gaining the magic powers contained in them.

No one knows what really happened to the dragons, only that they were never seen again. Some say, though, that in their revenge they spewed all their fire at the borders of the Rim Ocean, isolating the continent from the rest of the world. Some others say that the fire had always been there, though, and that the stories about travelers and mythical foreign lands were only old wives' tales.

What is certain is that, for as far as anyone alive could remember, and in the written texts, the world consisted of the northern icelands, surrounded by the cold sea, the ring continent around it, and the Rim Ocean, that ran counter-clockwise around the continent, warmed up by the fiery rim of the world, a veritable inferno which no one had ever been able to approach, much less cross.

Also certain is the fact that all the people who did not belong to the three ruling clans died in a terrible plague. Underground cathedrals were built with their bones, so that their revered souls could protect the living.

The Black, Red and White noble clans, survivors of the great plague, called themselves now the Dragonkin, claiming they were chosen to survive and replace the dragons as rulers of magic, each clan having received powers from the miraculous fruit of the Blood Tree that they passed on to their progeny.

The Dragonkin soon saw themselves in a pinch though, since, as even the most illiterate know, inbreeding is a quick way to end a bloodline. So they decided, after much negotiation, to interbreed as a way to circumvent some minor issues that had been arising over time, like the birthing of deformed and mostly powerful monsters that, being nearly indestructible, roamed the lands and ended up taking possession of clusters of their own.

And thus, after a few generations, the Browns came to be.

Now, the Browns were perfectly normal, decent, hard-working humans. But they also were nearly useless at magic, and though some were good at fighting, they couldn't reach the level of a Red.

On the other hand, the Browns were actually good at doing the kinds of work that Dragonkin didn't want to do, so they decided to graciously let them stick around, provided that they fed, clothed, and paid the Dragonkin kingdoms taxes.

And of course, given the stock from whence the Browns came, whenever a Black, White or Red child was born amongst them, it was immediately gathered and sent to live with the appropriate clan, to prevent the populace from developing ridiculous notions such as breeding for Dragonkin amongst themselves and using them to overthrow their betters.

As an additional way to keep the Browns happily toiling for them, and to remind everyone of why they were the ruling class in the first place, the Dragonkin took upon themselves to fight the monsters that they had beget and had taken the habit to come forth and make a nuisance of themselves, eating crops, livestock, people, setting fire to houses and so on.

Soon they realized that if they had serious handicaps when isolated in their clans, together in teams their talents complemented each other. So, in a stroke of genius, the Dragonkin founded Emberholm, a neutral city-state ruled by a triumvirate of elders, one from each clan. The city was at first built to house the University, where Dragonkin youths were sent to learn how to properly work with the other clans as teams, after having their natural clan talents honed at their own kingdoms, but quickly became a hub of trade, wealth, and politics.

It is there that this story begins.


	2. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So after much research I decided to push the ages of the characters a bit older. The University characters are all in the 16 to 18 year-old range.

The two black horses crossed under the University’s arches, followed closely by a patient mule.

The black-cloaked, black-haired young man in the mare looked around the courtyard, unimpressed. An old servant swept the front of the stables dreamily, another, a maid, pulled a bucketful of water from the well at the other side. A couple of birds sang on the branches of a small apple tree.

The horses stopped in front of the stables, and the armored brown-haired warrior accompanying the boy cleared his throat.

The old man ignored them.

The warrior’s horse came closer, and he cleared his throat louder.

The old man kept right on ignoring.

The nobleman felt his fingers itch. “Get off the horse, Astolf,” he ordered, and the warrior’s shoulders sagged. Leave it to a Black to be completely inconsiderate of the hassle it was to get off a horse wearing full body armor… not to mention get back on, he thought, groaning quietly, before starting the complicated maneuver.

He was saved from the toil, though, by a young male voice that yelled a greeting from inside the building.

The voice belonged to a filthy, golden-haired, golden-eyed, sunburned, rosy-cheeked lad wearing only homespun overalls, coming out holding a full saddle over one shoulder.

“Yeah? No use talking to old Walter, ’e's deaf,” he said, seeing Astolf and his young master’s stunned looks. 

Astolf recomposed himself faster.

“Mind your manners, servant, for this is his Lordship, Teminth the Black, come to enroll at the University!” he announced with a flourish.

The lad raised a golden eyebrow and gave Teminth a slow, unimpressed once-over, while digging for a carrot in the front pocket of his overalls and handing it over to Astolf’s horse.

“Oh great, all we need, yet another cockalorum wanker,” he spat, shaking his head.

Teminth’s jaw dropped. “You, minion, are too saucy!” he spat in shock.

The blond snorted, and shook his head again.

“I’ll get master Drugum for ye. Word of advice, tho, git off yer mare and start unloading yer donkey right now if ye wants to make a good impression,” he advised, and trundled away.

“What a complete wazzock!” the Black lord spat, completely livid.

Astolf cleared his throat. “Shall I help you off the saddle, milord?”

“Absolutely not! I’m not about to give that nincompoop the satisfaction!”

Five minutes later, the blond lad came back, accompanied by a huge reddish-brown haired man in a woolen tunic and a heavy leather blacksmith apron. The man stopped as soon as he locked gazes with Teminth’s onyx eyes, and frowned, before stomping on his way.

The blond boy opened a slow, lazy grin and perched himself on a barrel to the side of the entrance to the stables, where he promptly began chewing on a carrot.

Teminth stretched up and gave the man a haughty look.

“Master Drugum, I presuuuuuaaagh!” he screamed the last, as the giant man simply tossed him off his horse with one arm.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Astolf yelled, pulling his sword out.

“First lesson: in this institution, all pupils are the same no matter who they are, or where they came from. Second lesson,” Drugum said in a calm tone, ducking and grabbing the warrior’s ankle, raising his leg and pushing him to fall in a clanking heap behind his horse, “Servants are required not to intervene with the teaching; third lesson:” he started, and gave a surprised croak.

“What matter of establishment is this?” Teminth growled furiously, turning to the laughing blond after having turned the huge man into a toad.

“ _This_ ,” a haughty female voice sang from the balcony on the tenements across the stables, “Is the University, Teminth of the Black. And in this  _establishment_  we do not allow for disobedience such as this,” the owner of the voice, a tall, middle-aged woman, said, before dispelling Drugum back to his original shape. “I am Venia, the Headmistress and the Black Triumvir of Emberholm,” she announced, and teleported in a blink to stand next to the still fumbling Astolf. “You have met Master Drugum, he is in charge of weapons training and horse riding. And that,” she said, pointing to the blond filthy young man, who gave Teminth a sly smirk while waving at him, “Is young Erisdar of the Red, your colleague. Now, Erisdar, please help Sir…” she gave Astolf a pointed look.

“Astolf, milady,” the warrior said from the ground. Erisdar jumped off the barrel and tossed the stump of his carrot to Teminth’s mare, who grabbed it midair and gave him a thankful snort, before grabbing Astolf’s stretched hand and pulling him to a standing position in one fluid, easy movement.

“As I was saying, third lesson: trainees take care of their own luggage. You’ll be assigned a horse, so the mare can go back with your servant,” Drugum said, while Erisdar helped the armored warrior back up on his horse.

Drugum pointed at the mule.

“Get three changes of formal clothing and whatever weapons you have. Everything else is already provided,” he said, and smirked as the Black noble gave Erisdar’s attire a horrified glance.

“Boy!” he yelled as he left after the Headmistress, and Erisdar snapped to attention. “Give  _his Lordship_  a tour of the place, and find him a room. Oh, and get those disgusting paws cleaned before you go into the Halls, you raggabrash.”

Teminth stomped his way to his luggage, fuming in shame.

“Astolf, make sure you give Mother a complete report,” he ordered, as he fumbled through his clothing, hastily procuring a bag in which to store the items he’d been allowed to keep.

“Astolf, right?” Erisdar asked the warrior. “Ye can take the mounts to the public stables, they’re close to the Headmaster’s Eggs Inn. Tis nice and cheap there too, let’em rest before going back to yon castle,” he said, and gave the mule a carrot.

“The Headmaster’s  _Eggs_?” Astolf asked in shock, and the blond lad nodded. “Famous local dish,” he said with a wicked grin, and the warrior swallowed a snort.

“All ready then,  _your Lordship_?” Erisdar asked in a mocking tone, and Teminth threw his bag over a shoulder before nodding in defeat. “Ok, then, welcome to our humble University,” he said, and beckoned.

Astolf watched as his young master followed the smarmy blond, and shook his head, wondering how far would he get to before the little prat came begging for him to take him home.

“If I knew they took in Halflings I’d never have allowed being enrolled here in the first place,” Teminth said under his breath, as he waited for Erisdar to wash up near the well.

“Stop with the damp squib, lad, everyone knows pureblooded Dragonkin have to take the University if they don’t want to be civilians,” Erisdar retorted.

It was true; being civilian meant being an underling. It was almost as vexing as being a Brown.

“So… what the hell are you then? Brown and White? Red and White?”

“Dunno, Father found me alone when I was a babe. Come this way, it leads to the school proper.”

They – Teminth gauged the blond to be around sixteen, his own age. He was a bit shorter than him, a couple of inches at most, but the Halfling was broader and more muscled, while his own body was slender and more elegant, the marks of an arcane wielder – walked through a maze of narrow pathways that eventually led to a portcullis in front of a tunnel, which opened after Erisdar touched it with his left hand.

“Recognition spell; ye’ll be getting a mark of yer own later on,” he explained. “Probably after a few weeks, the Headmistress likes to let the likes of ye cool down inside a while before giving pass privileges, stops ye from running back home whining.”

Teminth gave him a scathing look.

“Don’t even start with the evil eye, mage, I seen enough of yer kind tryina run away over the years,” Erisdar said as they walked.

That information piqued Teminth’s interest. “Have you grown up here then?” he asked, and Erisdar nodded.

“Father is the Red Triumvir, Taenth the Protective,” he said with pride. “Been raised here all me life.”

“Wouldn’t ever suspect it, with your speech,” Teminth commented with a sneer, and recoiled when Erisdar turned suddenly on him, his strange golden eyes eerily shiny in the gloom within the tunnel.

“I can perfectly use proper speech, lad. Except I don’t. Don’t like being seen as one of you posh cumbergrounds. Especially since I’m supposed to  _lead_  your sorry asses into battle,” he spat.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, they reached a wooden door, opened the same way as the portcullis, and came out to an immense green field, with the University proper far on the back, so far it seemed miniscule.

“Gimme yer hand if ye don’t wanna walk yer shoes off,” Erisdar said, and stretched his own. Teminth took it, nodding. He could see the teleportation spell mark on the ground, definitely also attuned to the magical mark the alumni were branded with.

Next thing he knew, they were in front of the University’s open doors. Young people of different ages and clans went to and fro, either carrying books – most of them Blacks and Whites – or assorted weaponry – most, but not all of them, to Teminth’s shock, Reds. Even Whites were seen carrying a staff, or a wand.

“Yep, everyone has to learn how to fight without magic,” Erisdar commented as they crossed the great hall.

“Stop that flaming eejit!” a young woman squealed to their right, and Teminth turned just in time to avoid being trampled by a terrified-looking, short, pudgy gray-haired lad.

“Help me Eris she's gonna kill me!” the newcomer whimpered, huddling behind them.

Teminth looked to the direction he had come from, and saw a girl about their age in White healer garb fuming as she stalked towards them.

Except her hair was very, very light pink, not white. Yet another Halfling, then.

“Oh, uh, how do you do, milord? I’m Franae the Pink,” she said with an ingratiating smile, and curtsied. She was pretty, after a fashion, with lavishly styled curls and very light green eyes, and obviously preferred a flowing style of clothing. Teminth sighed and put his bag on the floor, before bowing as protocol demanded.

“What dost ye want, Fran?” Erisdar asked in a tired, ‘we’ve gone through this before’ tone.

“Briam made another goat explode!” she spat, pointing at the cowering youngster. Teminth looked back, actually interested.

“Uh, hullo. Briam the Grey here. Training to be a healer, er, or maybe a mage?” the boy introduced himself in a sheepish voice.

“Whichever one sticks,” Erisdar commented humorously, and Briam gave him a pitiful look with his large brown eyes.

“Tis not my fault, I swear I’m doing the spells right!” he defended himself.

“Briam here has a small issue with his magic natures, sometimes they get mixed up,” Erisdar supplied. “When the spells work he can heal a mighty treat tho.”

“What happens when they backfire?” Teminth asked despite himself.

“Well, that depends, but usually he either turns the subject into an animal, or sets them on fire. Sometimes both. Say, it was an  _actual goat_  ye were working on, right?” Erisdar asked Briam, who emphatically nodded, and gave Teminth a proud grin. “I’m immune to fire, so he usually trains with me,” he explained.

“Tell him to stay away from the Healer’s Ward,” Franae growled. “He’s upsetting the healing energy frequencies. Good day, milord,” she said, and curtsied again, giving Teminth another sycophantic grin. “If you need anything, please ask,” she offered before leaving.

“Thank you my good man, I thought I was done for this time,” Briam said, and bowed at the newcomer. “Got a mean streak, that one. I’ll be seeing you both at dinner, then, nice to meet you, uh…”

“Teminth,” the mage said, and bowed back. Erisdar began walking towards a staircase at the back of the great hall, and he followed.

A full hour later, after showing him pretty much the entire grounds and getting him an additional bag of standard school supplies, Erisdar stopped in front of a door in one of the dorms.

“Ye can settle here in the Mage Ward. The rooms are individual, lest ye blow each other’s heads off by accident while dreaming,” he supplied, pulling a keychain from his overall pocket and picking out a key, with which he opened the door. “What, don’t gimme that look, it’s happened,” he said, and gave him a mock salute. “See ye at dinnertime, then, don’t get lost on yer first day,” he greeted, and left.

Teminth entered the room, locked it, and let his bags slip to the floor, sighing.

The room was sparsely furnished. One single bed, one desk, one bookcase, one narrow wardrobe with a full length mirror hanging on the inside of its door, one chest, one side table, one chair, all wooden; a few candles and a holder, a couple of notebooks, two pencils, one magical fountain pen, one eraser. One jug and water mug set, plus washbasin, over the side table, a piss pot under it; a few hangers and drawers in the wardrobe. One small fireplace he lit with a small fireball, after taking his boots off by the door.

He started unpacking by hanging his formal robes first, and then opening the supplies he had been given. There were three simple black robes, one fur, one linen, one woolen; three additional sets of underwear, all white (made the blood easier to see, he reckoned), three pairs of black woolen gloves without the fingertips (a common safety measure for fire or ice spells); four sets of black trousers and tunics, two linen, two woolen; four sets of black standard knee-length woolen socks, one pair of leather sandals, one pair of boots, both black.

He wondered why in hell Erisdar dressed like he had fallen out of a dump heap. It wasn’t as if the Reds he had seen hadn’t had decent clothing – most wore leather armor over woolen tunic and trouser sets, simple but practical, warm garments. He had been nearly naked if one were to consider the autumn weather, not even wearing socks in addition to his sandals. Though, Teminth thought, the lad had been working on the stables. He probably wouldn’t wear his best to do such a job either, he considered, deciding to act in a more civil way at him. After all, for better or worse, he needed to try socializing, no matter how much he didn’t want to.

He hanged his cloak last, took off his jacket and perused his image in the mirror, frowning at the dirt smeared on his pale face and slim hands from the earlier fall. After making use of the washbasin, he sat on the chair, letting the events of the day sink in among the everyday noises coming through the thin walls.

He hugged his knees and wondered if the other students ever cried from loneliness at night.

* * *

 

The mess hall was enormous, but simple.

Sun worms covered the walls to illuminate the hall at night, having gathered sunlight during the day. The pupils and staff sat at huge tables, after lining up to go through two serving tables, one with assorted roasted meats, boiled potatoes and stews, another laden with fresh vegetables, cold cuts and bread.

Teminth joined the line quietly, and made his plate with some chicken and chickpea stew, roasted eggplant (he couldn’t help but salivate at seeing those, they were his favorite, but difficult to grow back in his country) and a chunk of bread.

He was currently standing among the tables, looking for a quiet place to sit, when he heard a loud call.

“Hey Mint!  _Mint_! Oi **, new _lad_**!”

He froze, and turned around. Sure enough, Erisdar and Briam were waving at him to come over. He stalked at them.

“ _What_  did you call me?”

Erisdar grinned at him.

“What’s wrong? Mint is a good alias. Reflects your flawless noble appearance,” he said, and Teminth was at a loss on how to interpret that statement. However, since Briam was also smiling amicably, he refrained from lashing out and sat down.

“Don’t feel singled out for sitting with us lowly Halflings, by the way, the staff makes sure we all mix up to avoid forming clan cliques – not that that doesn’t happen anyways.” Erisdar continued. “Ye can call me Eris if ye survive weapons training tomorrow.”

Mint looked quizzically at Briam.

“Eris is master Drugum’s assistant. You met him, right? The weaponsmaster?” the chubby lad asked, and he nodded.

“We thought it was best to give you some pointers, help you out a bit with socializing,” Briam continued. “If you look around, you’ll see everyone  _sort_  of gets along with everyone else. Magic fights are expressly forbidden, except when scheduled for practice. Brawls happen once in a while, what with all the Reds around,” he gave the blond a pointed look, and got a smack to the side of the head for his trouble, “and the Staff is fine with them, as long as they take it outside. Ordinary rules are: don’t mess with people’s things, don’t be too much of an arsehole, and obey the Big Three.”

“And get preventatives if you want to mess up with the girls,” Eris said, before forking his salad. Mint’s eyes widened and he flustered a little despite himself. “Some of them only care about getting into a good marriage, no matter the means," Eris remarked with his mouth full.

“I suppose you’d know about that,” he muttered, and didn’t miss how the yellow eyes narrowed a bit. “What are the Big Three?”

“We all are distributed in three roles, tanking, damaging and healing,” Briam said, counting them on his fingers. “The Reds are mostly tanks, ‘cause of their taunting abilities. They’re there to do the running, distract and hold the enemy at bay while the damage kills them, and the healers take care of the injuries during the fights. So the Big Three rules are: the tank’s job is to protect the healer, the healer’s job is to protect the tank, the damage melee and casters – that’s you by the way – job is to protect themselves, and the healers if possible, so they can keep the tanks alive. If the healer goes down, the tank dies. If the tank goes down, the healer dies. Without them,  _you’re_  dead, so you can’t afford to be stupid and put yourself in danger,” he explained.

“Step on shite and you’re dead. Move away on your own, and you’re dead. Stay in range of the enemy, you’re also dead,” a White with long braided hair intoned, sitting next to them. “We don’t heal stupid. Name’s Raziel, by the way, but everyone calls me Raz. Nice to meet you,” he said, giving him a nod.

Mint returned the greeting. “Teminth. Apparently, people will be calling me Mint.”

Raz gave him an easy smile, and turned to Eris.

"You ready to get your ass handed to you tomorrow?”

Eris almost choked on his fish.

“That’ll be the day, smugkins,” he said, laughing. “I’ll bet ye’ll stick the blunt end of that fancy javelin of yers up yer own balls again.”

Raziel sputtered. “That was once, you bobolyne! Once in almost three  _years_ , let it go already!”

“Famous last words, Raz. We’ll see to it in the morrow. Sunrise at the training grounds?” Eris taunted, snickering.

“Tis a deal. By the way, bring the newbie, it’ll do good to see what’s in store for him,” Raz replied, and the two fist-bumped.

Mint gave Briam a weary look.

“I don’t have a say in this, right?”

“Nope,” he said, grinning.


	3. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expressions and words in old English have been used with complete disregard for historical timing, but the meaning in them is still the same :D

Flora the Wise braided the small daisies on her daughter Jai's hair in silence.

"I'm sorry, mum," the girl said softly through bruised lips.

Flora stopped her work and turned her around. "Look at me," she said, and caressed her own pregnant belly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. There is no shame in carrying. And it's not as if you'll only be a mother, for I have taught the both of you. As a wise woman, you shall be responsible not only for the lives of yours, but for all the clan's. That is honorable work."

Jai's lip wobbled, but she nodded. "I am proud of you," Flora said, giving her dress the finishing touches before they left the family's hut.

They found Asa in front of the bonfire at the center of their tiny village, standing naked and proud as her bruised, battered body was anointed with the ceremonial oils. The rest of the clan gathered around the fire, in silence.

Maten, leader of the Forsaken, came out of a tent with the old White crone, Squrald.

"Brown Asa of the Forsaken, you have bested your twin in battle to become Unburdened. Are you sure that is the path you wish to follow?" she asked.

"Yes," Asa answered.

"Are you sure?" Squrald asked. "There is no going back from it. The life of the Unburdened is not without sorrow, girl. You will never have the joy of birth, or of motherhood; never have the option of being frail, and protected. On the contrary, the Unburdened must be stronger than men, throughout all their lives."

"Never been surer of anythin'," Asa said, turning her hard gaze upon the healer. "I has proven myself in training, and through battle. Now get on with it, old crone," she growled.

Even Jai smirked, though sadly, at that. Asa had always been the more aggressive of them. Maybe losing had been fate, after all.

The White squinted at her, and approached, along with Maten.

"Very well, then. May you feel the pain, so that no woman can ever call you weak."

Asa took a deep breath as her father locked her arms on her back and held them tight. "I am proud of ye, Asa," he whispered, and she nodded.

The crone's right hand glowed, and plunged into Asa's abdomen.

The girl looked up, trembling and biting her lip, focusing on the flames to withstand the pain. The other Unburdened had told her it felt a million times worse than the cramps that came with the moon blood, and they were right. Asa could feel the crone's hand slashing through her muscles, rummaging for her virgin womb, all the nerves in her guts screaming carnage with the freezing burn of the cauterizing energy, the air wheezing out of her lungs.

The hand grabbed on her small uterus, twisted, and yanked it off. Asa grunted, and bit deeper into her lip, drawing blood that ran along with the tears dropping from her eyes, as the hand withdrew bringing the organ with it.

The crone took a step back, and raised her bloody fist, the flesh in her hand still throbbing faintly.

Maten let go of her arms, and Asa braced her feet on the ground.

"I am Unburdened!" she yelled.

The clan cheered, and Asa took a trembling breath. It was done. She was free, and the owner of her destiny.

Two other Unburdened members of the clan helped her to her – hers alone! – tent, where her hair was cut short, and she bathed and dressed in full battle suit.

She joined her family to receive the blessings of her clan.

All families had brought both girls gifts.

Weapons, poisons, armor, potions, enchanted tools and trinkets, disguise makeup and gear for Asa.

Dresses, remedies, flowers, jewels, charms, love potions, baby clothes and toys for Jai.

At daybreak, Jai's bridal chests were tied to a mule, and she mounted her white mare, after receiving her mother's final blessings. She was now to be escorted by her father to the Shadow's encampment, where she would be married to their clan king's oldest son.

She gave a last look at her own clansmen, and bowed graciously.

Asa raised her small crossbow, their grand-aunt's heritage, in a farewell gesture.

* * *

  

Meanwhile, Briam knocked once as quietly as he could manage on Mint's door, and almost fell in when he opened it before the second knock.

"Is it time already?" Mint asked, stifling a yawn. Why the hell did people schedule their duels so damn early, he would never understand.

The night before, after dinner, the students were free to congregate at will for two hours, and most of them had spent their time betting and boasting about one or the other duelists.

Mint had been amused to see many pureblooded Dragonkin betting on the Halfling.

_"Eris is the best at melee fighting, hands down," a Black lad named Knucker, an older distant cousin of his, said. "Raz doesn't have a chance unless he cheats. He's the best healer fighter, but against Eris? Hah!"_

_"Raz can win," a Red girl, Uxseck, retorted. "He's crafty enough, and he's been training with me," she gave Mint a smug grin. "I've bested Eris before, you know," she said, and Briam chuckled._

_"Uhuh, when he was six."_

_"It still counts! Besides, I'm graduating this year, don't see the same happening to him!"_

_"Lord Raziel will win, he's smarter," Fran stated. "He will definitely uphold White honor," she completed, giving Mint a demure look._

_"Hey Mint, what's your specialty?" Knucker asked, and Mint cringed inwardly. 'Damn, here it comes,' he thought._

_"Frostfire," he said quietly, and the crowd went silent._

_"Wow, that's King Kemoth's specialty, isn't it? I never heard of anyone else that has it, must've been damn hard to master!" Knucker exclaimed, and the other Blacks nodded._

_"Yeah," Mint said quietly. Of all the magical paths, Frostfire was the most natural for him, and he privately thought that the myth about its unruliness was more a way to single out the king of the Blacks than actual difficulty to its mastery._

_"I see you are most powerful, Milord," Fran said, her eyes sparkling._

_Mint gave her a wary look. Other girls had introduced themselves to him, a few he had caught looking longingly at him from afar – he had inherited his good looks and height from his mother Ulsagh, and his father Vollenth's prestige amongst the clan – but the Halflings were the most eager._

_Not that it would help them in anyway, since not only all marriages were arranged in the upper classes of the Black clan, but Mint was personally in love with the idea of actually having a private life where he could, after spending his entire childhood being pestered by parents, assorted relatives and servants, get to finally know who he was, alone. And though he had been brought up to be a gentleman, he'd fight tooth and nail to keep that freedom._

_Ux, the Red girl, snorted. "He'll have to best Lady Venia first. I doubt she'll let any other Black instructor take that honor, not knowing this," she said, and gave Mint a predatory grin._

_The bell tolled ten pm, and the students began to disperse. Mint started to leave, when he felt an arm thrown over his shoulder, which caused him to immediately grab the offending hand by the thumb, twisting it._

_"Ow," Eris complained, removing the arm. "One'd think ye had come down from ye high horse by now, ye Lordship of Teas," he taunted, and Mint snorted, shaking his head. "Have ye bet our coin on me already, Briam?"_

_"Yes and you better win, my dear sir, for Jonesy raised his price again, says he has to make up for us coming of age sooner than Browns," Briam said in an annoyed tone, coming up from Mint's other side._

_Eris gave him a horrified look. "That inconsiderate basket-cockle, taking advantage of pure, innocent and most importantly **poor**  young rascals like us! No fair!"_

_Mint looked from one to the other. "Care to explain?"_

_"Jonesy is the innkeeper at the Headmaster's Eggs, he charges extra for our ale so he won't tell on us," Briam explained, and Mint nodded, only to freeze on the spot right afterwards._

_"Wait, what? Ale? You people drink alcohol?" he asked in a shocked voice, and Eris gave him a haughty once over._

_"Why of course! Oh gods, I forgot we were with Billy no Mates here," he said mockingly, and Mint fumed._

_"What? I'll let you know I have tasted the finest wine!" he spat in an outraged tone._

_"Oh really? Briam, please put another silver coin on me for his Mintness, that'll pay for the good stuff," Eris said with a cocky grin, slapping Mint on the back, and Briam saluted._

_"Yes sir! Don't worry Mint, since you're a newbie I'll come show you the way to the fight, be ready at sunup!" Briam greeted, and Mint was left gaping by the two Halflings in front of his room._

* * *

 

The training grounds were enormous and divided into round arena-like sections both by magic wards and bleachers. Briam and Mint followed the crowd, and sat midway up.

"Wouldn't it be better if we got the nearer seats?" Mint asked, and Briam snorted.

"Yeah, if you want to get your face splattered."

A horn sounded, and the fighters entered the arena, accompanied by a White man in healer robes. They were both wearing leather breeches, cuirass and boots, and armed with javelins. Under the armor, Raz wore a thick woolen shirt. Eris, again, wore no undershirt, only armguards.

"Is Eris a complete idiot? He's half naked down there!" Mint exclaimed, frowning.

"Cloth undershirts don't protect against anything, and he says he gets the hives with woolen ones." Brian remarked, shrugging. "That's master Volos down there, he's the White Triumvir and Dean of Healers," he said, pointing. "He's there to make sure nobody interferes in the fight and that Raz doesn't use his magic to cheat."

Master Volos was talking to both young men, undoubtedly relaying instructions. Mint could see the weaponsmaster, Drugum, and Lady Venia the Headmistress sitting in the first row of the bleachers across from them.

"We don't have many teachers here, do we?" he asked, and Briam nodded.

"Each Dragonkin clan has one, and there's Drugum, who's in charge of training us to melee battles. Other than that we pretty much read books on group strategy, bestiaries and train for a year or two; then we're gathered into groups and sent to practice questing. Once we're ready, we graduate and return home, those who have it, to go into service when needed."

"Seems straightforward enough… why hasn't Eris graduated yet then? He's been living here since he was found," Mint asked, and Briam scrunched his face.

"Horrible teamwork," he explained. "He's a good tank, but he ain't got no patience for damages with tunnel vision. No offense, but that makes most of the lot. Ends up he normally gets into fights with them, or with the healers who heal them. So the missions fail," he finished, and motioned for Mint to pay attention.

Master Volos had finished his speech, bowed and retired to sit beside the headmistress. Raz and Eris saluted the crowd, and Mint's eyebrow went up as Eris locked eyes with him, wiggled his eyebrows, and made a drinking gesture. He rolled his eyes and smirked at him, before shaking his head in amusement.

The fighters had clashed their weapons and retreated to the sides. They bowed, and began circling each other, Raz spinning his weapon while Eris held his firmly in front of him, his bright yellow eyes fixated on his opponent's movements.

Briam noticed Eris was moving just that little bit slower than Raz that they were sliding closer together without the White noticing it, and pursed his lips to hold his laughter in, already knowing how the fight would unravel. He looked at Mint instead, gauging his new colleague's reactions.

He had started watching the fight with a reasonably interested look, but as soon as he noticed how close Eris was to Raz Mint moved forward, resting his forearms on his knees. Now he watched their movements as if enraptured.

The duelists circled each other twice over, and Mint's face alighted, one full second before Eris slid his javelin over his left hand while jumping sideways, and swiped Raz off his feet.

The crowd cheered wildly as the healer fell but successfully countered Eris's next jump, rolling to the side. Eris stabbed the ground, but Raz rolled backwards over his head, and stood up to block the blond boy's attack.

The raw energy between the duelists was so strong the young mage could almost taste it. Blue and golden eyes were locked together, taunting each other through silent expressions.

And then Raz swiped Eris off his feet with a well-placed foot. Eris rolled backwards on his feet and back-flipped to escape. The healer then stuck the end of his javelin on the dirt floor and used it as support to swing his legs over, but before they could connect with Eris's chest he grabbed both ankles and pulled.

The crowd went wild, watching Eris spin Raziel by the ankles, gaining momentum before throwing him across the arena, where he landed in an undignified heap.

"Need a hand?" Eris offered as he came over.

"I'll defeat you yet, Erisdar of the Red!" Raz roared in an unsteady but humorous voice as he grabbed his hand and got up, losing his footing and hopping on one foot a couple of times.

Briam looked at Mint, to see a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Thoughts?" he asked.

Mint gave him a smirk. "I think I can beat him, with the right weapon," he said, and Briam gaped at him.

"Didn't you just see that?" he asked, but was interrupted by a loud horn blast.

"Quite an amusing event, as usual, to see a healer try to take on a tank," Lady Venia said, her voice carrying over magically and gaining the attention of the crowd. "We have a new student among us, as you already know, and as all others he must go through an evaluation of his talents. Lord Teminth of the Black, if you please?" the headmistress called, and Mint teleported to her side, standing quietly in front of her.

"I hear that you have specialized in Frostfire?" Lady Venia asked amicably, and Mint nodded. "Would you be kind as to give a demonstration spar, then? I'll be your opponent. First one to run out of mana wins."

Mint sighed, as the students cheered at him. He looked back and saw Eris sitting down next to Briam, carrying a mug and a piece of brown bread. Eris grinned and raised his mug at him. Raz could be seen to the right, amongst other Whites. Mint noticed his eyes going from Eris to him, and he grinned back at Eris, giving him a mock salute before turning back to the headmistress. "I'd be delighted to, milady," he answered, and bowed to her.

She clapped, and the magical wards went up to protect the audience.

Briam leaned forward, his eyes shining in expectation. "Ooooh, this is gonna be a right royal! Arcane versus Frostfire!" he shouted.

"Let's see if he can stand for at least a couple of seconds before the Hag scrubs the floor with his face," Eris commented through a mouthful of bread.

'Arcane, heh?' Mint thought, holding back a predatory smile. He went to his corner and turned around, bowing to the headmistress while already preparing a move.

Lady Venia bowed, and stood up with her left hand raised. Mint opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes bulged and he took off to evade her magic bolts.

'Oshiteoshiteoshite who  _opens_  with Silence?' he thought, doing a barrel roll to avoid a last bolt, and jumping up to cast a frost shield around himself. He then teleported to the other side of the arena, where he spent his shield against a barrage of arcane shards.

"Hey, it's been almost half a minute, he's good," Eris said, impressed despite himself. "I ain't seen anybody stay up this long yet."

"Told you he seemed more than just another posh git," Briam commented, and Eris nodded, taking a swig of his tea to wash down the rest of the bread.

Mint saw his golden opportunity come up right then, as the Headmistress started casting her own shield spell. He counter-spelled it by silencing her, and encased himself in ice at the same time he let out his largest Frostfire ball with the last of his mana, which flew from his fingers trailing blue flames.

It actually caught on the soles of Lady Venia's shoes as she jumped away to the side, before blowing up against the magic wards.

"Good call," she praised him, stomping to put out the fire, and approached his frozen form. "Too bad you didn't Morph me instead, or else I'd have lost. Alas, you didn't," she said, and addressed the crowd. "In a group setting his strategy would be perfect, on the other hand, because the tank would either be holding the target or would be able to snatch their attention without compromising the safety of the party. For that, I commend you, Teminth of the Black."

With that, she dropped the wards – about time too, for Mint's spell was wearing off – and bowed to him.

"Holy skies she bowed to the newbie!" a voice yelled in shock, and the crowd exploded in laughter, mingled with loud cheers.

Mint looked around, shaking with the residual frost, and his eyes stopped when he saw Eris watching him, both hands on his hips, with Briam jumping and whistling excitedly at his side.

His new friend nodded in greeting at him, smiling approvingly, and Mint returned the greeting, with a smirk of his own and an amused look in his eyes.


	4. 3

Autumn was harsh and cold in Emberholm, and at the moment Franae's concentration was waving due to the whistle of the wind against the windows.

"Again," Master Volos demanded, and she broke in a cold sweat as she desperately tried to concentrate enough energy in her healing burst spell before directing it to the small Brown child in front of her.

Volos raised the child's arm to examine it, and shook his head in disappointment before quickly re-mending the broken bones and dismissing his student, who left the room with her head lowered, feeling the humorous stares of her White colleagues.

Franae made her way to the mess hall for breakfast and got herself a small, half-filled bowl of porridge and half an apple before sitting down alone at the end of one of the long tables.

"You're never going to gather enough energy for burst healing if you don't eat, you know," a male voice said quietly, and she scowled at the portly boy standing with his own tray stacked up with rolled oats, eggs, fruit and braised greens. He sighed, shook his head, and left towards the other end of the refectory, where Eris and Mint were already seated together and arguing, with other people butting in with a comment now and then.

Of all her Halfling colleagues, she hated Briam the most. The gray-haired tub of lard was the epitome of uselessness; if not for his seemly never ending supplies of mana, she was sure he'd have been thrown out of the University and sent to one of the lower Guilds long ago. Still, he was quickly accepted and well-liked by everyone, obviously due to Erisdar's friendship.

They had, unlike her, grown up together in the University, and even Franae had to concede that despite the wannabe healer's lack of prowess with his spells he was pretty much a walking bestiary and could hold his own in a melee battle. Since nobody knew what the hell to do with the fat boy, the teachers let him tag along on quests more often than not, which granted him a reputation as a peacemaker between tanks and mages.

Franae, on the other hand, lived between the devil and the deep: her female colleagues didn't like her for her beauty, and her lack of mana reserves was heavily criticized. Her only shining points were blessings and mana shields, but there was only so much you could do with those.

Lady Vita, her protector, had raised her amongst the beautiful White nobility, and taught her that the best fate Half-white women could achieve for, due to their less than stellar healing abilities, was to be chosen for marriage by a pureblooded Dragonkin, preferably from a clan pertaining to the Halfling's particular mixture of traits.

And Franae was startlingly beautiful from birth, with her slight, delicate frame and features, and her distinctively feminine powder-pink hair framing her lightly bronzed skin. Her only fault was that she had to constantly diet to avoid putting on too much muscle. She was terrified of becoming broad and muscled as the Red girls, whose build was disdained by the light, slender Whites, and even more of growing fat as some of the shorter, stockier female tanks were.

No, she wouldn't be caught dead looking like one of those uncouth, violent women and their equally rugged male counterparts. She had once even considered Erisdar as a suitor, because for all he was a strange breed of Halfling, the only person with such a bright, definite  _yellow_  hair she had ever heard of – which would certainly put him in among with the Brown mongrels, if not for the fact he had been fostered by the Red Triumvir himself and the fact the boy actually did have the Red knack at protecting comrades by controlling the enemy's aggression – he was at least a bit less savage-looking than his peers.

But he had actually  _laughed_  at the Brown maidservant who she had sent to inform him his interest in Franae wouldn't be frowned upon. He had laughed and patted the small girl in the shoulder, before looking straight at Franae at the other end of the great hall, sighing and shaking his head at her with a pitiful – pitiful! – look in his eyes.

So she had kept her distance from both Reds and Halflings alike, preferring to mingle with her healer colleagues and the elegant Black mages, in hopes of finding someone worthy of her beauty. She knew Blacks were the clan most prone to inbreeding, with outsider blood being accepted into their ranks a rarity even compared to the other clans, but damn, their current brood wasn't weak or deformed, so it  _had_  to happen. Everyone knew what happened when clans inbred for too long – especially the Blacks. Daemons abounded from their previous, stupider generations having abused their luck.

As she approached her seventeenth birthday, she felt her choices dwindling more and more, and the shame of being married to one of the Brown upper-class members became a sword hanging over her. She wouldn't let that happen if it was the last thing she did. Not only her own fate but Lady Vita's reputation was at stake, the woman had taken a great risk at fostering a Halfling into her own household, instead of sending the child to be raised at the University under Master Volos' watchful eyes.

And so, while eating, she inconspicuously watched who she saw as one of the last opportunities at saving face for both her and her protector, the new Black boy, Teminth.

He had arrived four months ago, and quickly made a reputation as the most gifted amongst the mages. He seemed also, unlike most of his clan (and, according to gossip, to his own surprise), to have found he enjoyed the company of the various misfits that gathered around Erisdar and Briam.

There was only one person who actively demonstrated any dislike for him, and that was Raziel.

Franae could see him a few tables to the back of the mess hall, openly glaring at Teminth while his friends futilely tried to call his attention. He had drawn away from Erisdar's group after losing the duel, and had become increasingly withdrawn and hostile, in direct proportion to the acceptance Teminth had gained in the same clique.

After breakfast she waited in the shadows for the White healer to pass her, and quietly beckoned him to join her in a quiet corner.

"Milord Raziel, may I bother you to help me?" she said, curtsying, and raised a hand before he could snap at her. "I... I have no one to turn to, please forgive-me," she started, looking demure. "I know it isn't my place, as a Halfling, to beseech your favor, but as a protégé of Lady Vita, whose interests I represent, I would become bold to ask you intervene in a matter of courtship, between Lord Teminth of the Black and me."

She watched closely as his annoyed expression suddenly turned keen, and inwardly cheered. "Go on," he said.

She curtsied again. "Well, as you might know Lord Teminth is not betrothed, and though his station is quite high, as a second-cousin to King Kemoth he is allowed to marry outside the clan... and I find myself enamored with his Lordship," she breathed out, blushing. It wasn't  _exactly_  a lie, too. Teminth was very handsome, skilled, and had always behaved in a polite, gentlemanly way at the times she had been able to speak with him, and had never pushed her away, in her opinion, though she hadn't overtly made any advances yet.

Raziel narrowed his eyes at her, and smirked. "I will see what I can do for you... milady," he said, and kissed her hand.

* * *

 

A couple of weeks later, Raziel approached her with a plan to attract her intended's attention.

It was a couple of hours after another of Erisdar's duels, this time against the Black newcomer.

She had watched as they stood in the dueling arena at the training grounds, facing each other with knightly swords at their hands.

_"Are ye entirely sure of what ye're doing, young fella me lad?" Eris had taunted, grinning. "Oh yes I am," Mint had rebutted with a smirk of his own._

_"Ye best remember, there will be no magic field to hide behind," Eris said, beginning to circle towards him. "You should start worrying about your own over-confident arse, boy, I know how to take care of myself," Mint taunted in a growl, standing still and watching as he approached._

_Eris chuckled and approached slowly, his golden eyes glinting under the morning sun. Mint waited until Eris was almost upon him, and jumped as he attacked, swirling around Eris in a blur as he hit him repeatedly, forcing Eris to twist his body around over and over to block his attacks._

_"Ye think I'll get tired from yer weak attacks, ye fopdoodle?" Eris growled as he defended. Mint only smirked, keeping him spinning, and after a few more minutes of that Mint suddenly feinted a low frontal attack, threw his sword up and somersaulted twirling over his opponent, as Eris lowered his own to block it, grabbed it with his left hand and held it against Eris' neck from behind._

_"Too slow, young fella me bampot," Mint panted against Eris' ear as the crowd cheered, and patted his shoulder with his own right hand, grinning as he saw the other blush all the way to his ears._

Afterwards, Raziel had approached Franae with information.

"They'll leave the University's grounds tonight, for drinking. If you're interested, I can arrange that you... be rescued by your intended. That should be a good binding start between the two of you," he proposed, and Franae quickly agreed.

* * *

 

The three friends took a table at the Headmasters Egg's and ordered their drinks and a plate of quail eggs to snack on.

"Ouch, you arse," Mint complained at Eris' kick on his shin.

"How the hell did ye pull off such an acrobatic move this mornin'?" Eris asked with a scowl.

"Frostfire mages can cast while moving, so we have special physical training, tis not my fault you take a million years to move all that muscle around. Kick me again and I'll roast your foot!"

Briam snickered. "Tis true, you know," he said, taking a swig of his ale. "The only reason you win most of your duels is people being either too afraid to really fight you or not being nimble enough."

"Says the lard ass," Eris retorted as he swallowed his grog, the sprig of mint –the man had fallen in love with putting the damn herb in his rum the first time he had asked for it to rile up Mint - rubbing against his cheek.

"You're just jealous because you lost your money and we didn't. And if you're not, well, you're always welcome to come at me again," Briam answered, wiggling his eyebrows.

Mint almost choked on his ale. "Wait you've beat him in a duel too?" He turned a shocked gaze to Eris. "How the hell did you lose to him? Briam's a veritable plush bear!"

Eris blushed. "Hand on hand combat, couldn't lift him and punching just tickles his gut," he mumbled in embarrassment.

Mint's eyebrows went all the way up to his hairline, and he howled in laughter after toasting with a smug-looking Briam.

* * *

 

Franae fixed her dress and cloak again, before peeking from the shadows at the inn's entrance. At that moment, the three lads stumbled out of it, obviously smashed, Eris and Mint stumbling to follow Briam in singing "My two wondrous horses," as they dragged each other down the street.

She came out of the corner and followed excitedly, occasionally turning her nose at the rowdiness of the songs.

The inebriated trio was going through a painful rendition of "The cock is an early riser" when she was viciously dragged into an alley, a calloused hand covering her mouth before she could yell for help.

She struggled. That wasn't the plan, damn it! The "attacker" was supposed to let her call for help, not start feeling under her cloak and...

She paled in realization, as she heard the fabric of her bodice rip under a knife, and did what came automatically to any damsel in her situation: she bit the man's hand as hard as she could and  _shrieked_.

Eris and Briam stopped short and raised their heads, turning towards the sound. A second scream had them running towards the alley, Mint stumbling after them in confusion.

Everything happened too quick for Franae to register: her assailant's armed hand swung back, at the same time a small foot came down on his face, knocking him away from her, and a heavy weight slipped in front of her from above, pushing her tightly against the wall and knocking the wind from her chest. She dropped to the ground stunned, watching as the man quickly stood and waved the dagger in front of the short blurry figure in front of him, who knocked it away with a swift roundhouse kick and pushed against him. He gurgled and dropped to the ground at the same time the three boys reached the mouth of the alley.

"Stop right there!" Eris' voice boomed, and the small figure slowly turned towards him while stretching up from their crouching position.

"Save the Voice for yer monsters, boy. This is official business," the figure said in a female pitch, and raised the badge tied around her neck.

"Oh," Eris said in his normal tone, "Sorry then. Can we help in any way?"

"Who's that?" Mint asked, squinting in the dark, his drunken buzz fading away with the scare.

"Outcast," explained Briam as he bowed and moved to tend to the fallen woman.

"Do what now?" Mint asked again, confused, and conjured a floating light orb. It illuminated the dark alley, showing a short-haired Brown girl in tight brown leathers and a wide pouch tied to her left thigh. "Oh get serious, this brat can't be older than us!" he exclaimed, frowning, and the girl raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"Um, sorry about 'im, yer honor, he's just come off the hills, ye knows how it is with country nobles," Eris quickly said, bowing to her and dragging Mint away from the scene before pushing him against the wall.

"Dost ye want to get us all in trouble?" he growled, before shaking his head. "The Outcast are mercenary assassin clans, the city hires them to get rid of criminals instead of bugging us with that sort of job. They're trained as soon as they get off their diapers, so please be more respectful if ye wants to keep yer teeth attached to yer gums," he whispered into Mint's ear, and Mint widened his eyes, nodding in understanding as his friend let him go.

He turned and bowed to the Outcast girl, who was again crouched in front of the fallen assailant, searching his pockets. She nodded at him curtly, and he walked the alley, looking curiously at his surroundings.

"Fran?!" Briam exclaimed as he straightened the fallen girl up. "What the hell are you doing out of the University? It's too dangerous for girls out here!" he said, and looked quickly sideways as the other lads gasped. "Uh, saving your grace, Mistress..."

"Asa, from the Forsaken," the Outcast said, and snorted. "No need to piss yer pants, I agree with ye. Yer damsel friend was lucky I was on this basket-cockle's trail, he's already killed four wymin this month alone."

Franae gasped. "But... but... how could he? He promised I'd be safe!" she blurted out, and everyone looked at her.

"He who? What is going on,  _milady_?" Eris asked, coming to stand before her with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Maybe this guy here can explain," Mint said, pulling a figure from behind a cart.

Briam turned shocked, saddened eyes towards Fran and stood, moving to where Mint was propping a badly beaten young man up against the cart.

Fran flinched under Eris' cold stare, and used the only resource she had, bursting into deep sobs as a light flurry of snow began falling around them.

"Don't touch'im," Asa said, pulling a tiny bottle from her pouch and kneeling in front of the injured boy, waving the opened bottle under his nostrils until he woke with a loud gasp.

"Please don't kill me!" he screamed, raising his arms reflexively.

 "Nobody will kill ye, boy. Who beat ye, that scoundrel there?" Asa asked, pointing at Fran's assailant, who was tied and gagged on the other side of the alley.

The boy looked over and nodded, shivering in both fear and cold. "Yes, uh, 'twas him."

Briam touched the boy's greasy brown hair, and smeared the grease in his fingers, before crouching to squint at his face. Mint motioned for his light orb to come closer, and tried to see whatever drew his friend's attention.

"You're a White. Why are you disguised like that?" Briam growled as soon as he checked out the boy's eyelashes.

The lad – he couldn't be more than a year older than them, Mint reckoned – flinched under Briam's stare. The Halfling was a good-natured, kind boy, but had a steel core to his personality that Mint had already seen a couple of times, and was no weakling.

"I... I didn't do nothing," the White muttered, "Master Raziel sent me to help the Pink girl on a romantic ruse, is all, nobody was gonna get hurt, until that loon jumped me!" he raised his voice in a panicked tone at the end, huddling against the cart.

"Explain yourself," Eris demanded from the other end of the alley where he stood with his eyes on the trembling Franae, in a deep icy voice. Mint looked back at him, startled, both at the tone and the use of higher speech.

"I was just following orders, I swear... Master Raziel said I should come and grab the Pink Halfling when she passed by this place, she would scream and the Black boy would rescue her and return her enamored feelings for 'im," he said quickly, and hugged his knees.

"What? Me?" Mint asked, startled, and started toward the girl, only to be stopped by Eris' raised hand. "Is this true?"

She crisped her hands against her cloak, and lowered her head before nodding quietly.

Asa let out a cynical laugh. "Seems ye have an obstinate admirer, Master Black. Well," she said while approaching them, "All the better for me, her fumble got me to this scum sooner," she said, opening her pouch and snapping her fingers. A shriveled hand came out of it, giving her a rolled-up parchment and a pen. "Bottomless pouch," she explained as Eris' eyebrows went up. "If I can have yer marks please, I can do me job and go home, the sooner the better."

Mint took the paper and looked down on it briefly. "An order of execution with no name or description for the condemned on it?" he asked, frowning.

"Aye, we're supposed to get'em in the act before we kill'em," the Outcast said, kicking the assailant into wakefulness. "Move, scum, ye knows what's comin'," she growled, and the man's eyes went wide as he began fighting against his constraints, growling against the gag in his mouth.

"Need any help?" Briam asked, as he finished cleaning some of the grime from the White boy and helped him up. Asa gave him a thankful grin.

"If ye'd like to move 'im to Murder Square I'd be grateful, but as fer the actual job, no thanks. They don't call us Unburdened to deal with this kind for nothin'," she said, and the prisoner froze for a second, just to thrash about with renewed energy right after. 

Eris stretched a hand and Fran took it, after hesitating a second. "Come on, milady. Tis snowing and ye have spent enough luck that ye might catch the flu," he said in a kinder tone, and frowned when she was up. "Ye can be better than this, Fran," he muttered, before turning to help Briam move the bound criminal away from the scene.

Mint followed keeping himself between the White lad and Fran as the party moved on to Main Road, his two friends apparently knowing where to take the man without telling. "So the jail is at Murder Square?" he asked, apropos of nothing, and the White boy stared at him with a strange expression.

As they reached the square Mint realized why, for Briam and Eris shackled the criminal to a pole on a dais in the middle of the open space.

The Outcast girl yanked the gag from the man's mouth and held up the parchment to read under a street torch next to the pole. "Says here ye have raped and murdered four women in this city of Emberholm, plus I have caught ye attacking Mistress Halfling and Master White over there," she pointed to Franae, who blushed, "plus these fine Dragonkin gentlemen have put their marks as witness. If ye care to make yer plea to the dragons ye should take the opportunity now," she said, and affixed the parchment to a plain signboard to his right with the tacks attached to it.

The man spit at her. "Curse ye and yer kin, bitch," he growled. She pulled a long hunter knife from her pouch and stepped up to him, smirking, and pushed the blade into his groin.

Mint felt his own balls retreat into his body in sympathy, as he saw the girl – what, fifteen or so? She could be younger than him! – slowly and surely twist the knife and pull it out dragging the criminal's testicles with it.

Franae went green in the face and turned around to retch, and the White boy rolled his eyes into his skull and quietly fainted. Eris and Briam watched coolly next to them, unfazed by the howls of agony coming from the dais as the girl professionally went on butchering the man.

Mint turned pleading eyes to his friends as Franae started sobbing.

"She needs to see this," Briam said quietly. "Otherwise she'll never understand the seriousness of what she and Raziel did. It could've been her clansman on that pole, if not for the true criminal."

"It's good for ye also," Eris commented without looking away from the scene, "Ye'll soon be doing the same or worse to the monsters, and they scream just as loud."

The execution went on for a full fifteen minutes, and at the end Eris had moved to support Fran's shivering body as she cried, the White lad having woken from his fainting spell and standing with a haunted look on his face.

They bid farewell to the Outcast girl and made their way back to the University in silence, entering through the hidden entrance by the west watchtower. On the way to the dormitories Fran stumbled, and Eris picked her up.

"She's freezing," he mumbled, a worried crease between his brows.

"This one is, too. I think it's the shock," Briam said, nodding toward the White boy staggering with him as support.

"Pick him up and both of you walk in front of me," Mint said, and focused heat on his hands, before putting one on each of his friends' lower backs.

"Fire mages, can't leave home without them," Briam said in a satisfied tone.

" _Frost_ fire, never forget," Mint replied with a smirk.

They crossed the grounds quietly, the only sound the crunch of their boots against the snow, using the cover of the trees whenever possible, and in a quarter-hour reached the healer quarters west of the main building.

"Thank you," the White lad said as Briam let him down in front of the servant's entrance.

"No problem, uh... what's your name again?"

"Atizz," the boy said, and awkwardly stretched a hand. Mint caught it in his firm grip and shook it.

"Teminth; some people," he gave Eris a side look, "call me Mint. Stay out of trouble, ok? Don't want to go through this ever, ugh,  _ever_  again if I can avoid it," he said with a grimace, and the boy nodded.

"I promise," he said quietly before entering.

Franae gave them a pitiful glance from under her bangs. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Lord Teminth, Eris... Briam. I... I let my feelings take over me..."

Mint saw his friends give him a meaningful look, before shaking their heads and taking their leave after saying their goodbyes to her.

"Lady Franae... I'm sorry I can't return your feelings, for I... I haven't come to this place looking for a bride. I've been surprised to be able to make friends, even. To be completely honest, I have been overwhelmed enough finding out who I really am," he said in a careful, kind tone, "I think I understand how romance is important for women, but I... I am but a fledgling when it comes to understanding my own feelings, let alone sharing them. I hope you can understand, and grant me the honor of your friendship."

Fran looked startled at him. "You... you would want to be my friend?" she asked, unbelieving.

"Of course," he said, smiling, and she returned it gratefully, extending her hand. He shook it, and bid her goodnight before bowing and leaving, feeling her sad eyes on his back.

He found the other two waiting for him at the corner of the building.

"What's up with you?" he asked, noticing Eris' sweaty face contorting in a grimace.

"Eh, don't mind 'im, it's all that muscle keeping him from feeling the chill," Briam said as they walked across the University.

"I was exerting meself with a veritable furnace on me back, ye know," Eris said, pouting, and Mint smirked, before blowing an icy breath on his face. "Oooooh much better. And don't ye mock me, ye can't be cold with all that fat around yer stomach."

Briam slapped his belly with a hand. "Oh, I am impervious to all weather," he said as they reached the main building. "Don't go getting in trouble, ok?" he said in a serious tone, and Eris nodded, waving at them before turning for his own quarters.

Mint followed him with his eyes, before trotting to catch up with the grey kid. And as he lay later in his bed, he mused on the nature of the quests his friends had faced, to give them such a hard, fearless core, wondering if he would ever catch up to them in that regard, or if he'd just have to rely on his talent for keeping a cold façade instead.


	5. 4

Eris entered the mess hall and grabbed a tray before looking at the line with a grimace, but his eyes brightened as he saw a pair of hands waving at him.

Briam and Mint were discussing something in excited tones when he approached them, but went quiet as he came close enough for them to see his busted lower lip. He saw the worry on the Black's expression and averted his eyes, not wanting to deal with it. Briam rolled his eyes and sighed, before stretching his pointer finger up and squinting fiercely at it with his tongue showing between his teeth as he carefully cast the weakest healing spell he could, before touching Eris's lip.

The magic healed Eris' lip, all three pimples and a scratch from his clumsy shaving on his face, the purple fingermarks on his neck that he concealed under his linen shirt and an ingrown toenail that had been giving him trouble for a week.

"Wait, I didn't rejuvenate two entire years this time, or get me ass thrown across the hall, or blown up through the roof, or set on fire,  _what happened_?" Eris asked with wide eyes.

"Mint's been analyzing my spellcasting," Briam said proudly, and Mint gave him a soft smirk, though his eyes still showed concern.

"We're going to hit the arena after breakfast for a sparring," Briam added, dropping a hefty serving of greens and lentils on his plate.

"Really," Eris commented, and pushed his own tray on one of his friend's hands before grabbing both by their napes and leading them across the hall despite their bewildered protests.

Franae was sitting alone again when she saw the three lads stop in front of her, the casters pushed down to sit before Eris came around and sat beside her. "Um, good morrow," she greeted quietly.

"These two eejit casters," Eris told her, pointing at them, "are going to kill each other after breakfast. Can ye help avoid that?"

"Hey you don't know that!" Briam exclaimed, and Mint nodded.

"Give us the benefit of the doubt at least, I can hold my own against him!" he said in an angry tone, pointing at Briam.

Franae gave them a confused look, which quickly turned into an unimpressed one as the facts clicked in her brain. "Did you tell Lord Black what happened to Master Volos when he last allowed Briam to train under him?" she asked Eris.

A sudden commotion at the entrance interrupted them right then, and Eris jumped up, waving his arms excitedly. "Da!" he shouted, and Mint turned around to see an enormous, fearsomely bearded Red warrior look around the room. Spotting Eris, he started walking nonchalantly towards their table, carrying a small angry, cursing, kicking and screaming person over his shoulder.

"I said let me down, ye huge oaf, I will kill ye and all yer kin for this disrespect, I'm an adult now, dammit!" the person over Taenth the Protective, Red Triumvir of Emberholm, growled as the man came closer and pointed at Briam and Mint.

"Make room please," he asked, and the boys scooted over, before he unceremoniously dumped his charge between them.

It was none other than the Outcast from the previous night, Asa. The four of them turned wide eyes at her, while she furiously blew a strand of hair off her face and crossed her arms across her chest, beet-faced and scowling.

"You, Black boy," Taenth called, and Mint gave him a terrified look, completely justifiable considering Taenth was all of seven feet tall and about as wide as a double wardrobe. "I'mma get the runt here some decent food. If she so much as moves a toe afore I'm back, be kind and turn’er into something ye boys can hold without getting yer limbs ripped out. I hear sheep are a favorite this time of the year," he said with a toothy grin, and moved away.

Silence fell on their table and the adjacent ones, all eyes on the short Brown spitfire, who sat radiating anger and killing intent for the full five minutes it took the Triumvir to come back with two trays laden with food. He put one in front of the girl and moved to the other side of the table, sitting in between Eris and Franae.

"I'm an  _adult_ , you know," Asa growled.

Taenth gave her an unimpressed look while he broke his bread in two. "So's everyone else at this table, but you don't see them turning down free food. Right, lads? Miss?"

The youngsters nodded quietly, watching the exchange warily.

"Look, your father and mother are my best mates in the whole world, savin' Drugum. So as long as you're inside Emberholm's walls, Drug and I see that you're fed, armed and cared for. And that means you eat here just like the rest of us."

"Don' take no privilege," she muttered, still scowling.

"How about that boy you gave your bread to? You think he was taking privilege by being fed your food?" Taenth asked, and all eyes fell on him in surprise as Asa went beet-red.

"Wasn' hungry," she muttered.

She was, though. And she had spent half her share of her first wage as Unburdened, after signing half of the total to her clan as was customary, buying all the fancy bread that had caught her attention on the way back to the University, where her uncle Drugum was boarding her in exchange for her help with weapons maintenance. She had no intention of using the University's facilities, the place not being for the likes of an Outcast in the first place in her opinion, but a roof over her head was a roof over her head, and rent was ridiculously high in Emberholm, especially for Unburdened who were particularly unwelcome in the few places that could offer a room for cheap, like the shadier inns and brothels, for fear of scaring off the clientele.

It was snowing hard that morning when she made her way back home, through the side streets of Emberholm's slums, located between the West Gate and the gallows. As she reached the main street, she nearly stumbled on a little boy selling a few small bags of coal and matches, the kid nearly covered in snow already, trembling as he shouted his wares in a hoarse voice.

So she traded her bread and money with him, because the Forsaken were assassins, not assholes. A couple lost meals wouldn't kill her, and a city this large always had some work popping around. And it wasn't as if she had  _given_  anything, she got matches and coal out of the deal, right?

She blinked, snapped her fingers in front of her pouch, and triumphantly put the bundle of matches that appeared on the table. "Don' take no privilege. Din't give none, either," she growled defiantly.

Taenth let out an exasperated huff and rolled his eyes, picking up his spoon and knife and beginning to eat after shaking his head. The others used that as a cue to begin eating their own food, except for Mint, who sat quietly watching the angry assassin with the side of his eyes.

He realized he related to the girl in many levels. Just like her, he had left home to start his adult life, grateful to shed off the binds of childhood and obligation. He was also fiercely proud of his own talents, even though he didn't see them as more than the product of his own effort and thus not a reason for the whole clan – or the Academy, as it was now – to fawn over him.

He also definitely didn't like the idea of owing people anything. He could only imagine how much deeper that feeling would be to someone who had come from humble beginnings and had such a history of defiance in the face of privilege like the Outcast clans, Browns who had shunned their own masters and the Dragonkin clans' favor in order to live at the fringe of society, doing the sort of job no honorable person would. Even gong farmers were respectable workers, though pitied. Murdering, spying and thieving for hire was obviously a necessity in a society where competition grassed between and inside the ruling clans as well as the lower caste, but the people who did it were treated exactly as what they called themselves, outcasts.

It might have been just his thoughts running away through his mouth, or maybe he had been burning off too much of his brain when off drinking with his friends, because Mint was a properly raised Dragonkin and he knew not to stick his nose where it didn't belong (also he would probably have ripped himself a new one had he been in Asa's place), but the fact was that Mint only realized he had just said, "Um, how about you teach the Reds to be more nimble on their feet in exchange for University meals then? The oafs could definitely profit from that and I'd bet his Excellency would be willing to have a professional teach his son," after he did. His eyes widened a tiny fraction and he snapped his mouth shut as the Triumvir looked at him as if he had just found the recipe for the Philosopher's Stone, and Asa's stomach rumbled loudly on cue.

But nothing was more dramatic than Eris' face slowly morphing from mild interest into surprise and then to a huge expectant grin, shiny eyes included, that made him look slightly stupid and somewhat deranged as he slowly rose from his seat.

"I get to be trained by an Unburdened outcast? Yes please, please accept ma'am! All me life I've trained only with great big slow boulders like Master Drugum and me Da – no offense, Da – and though I can hold me own most times I just lost a duel to that snotty gangly strip of a mage right there, but with yer guidance I'm sure I can regain me honor as a warrior, nay, as a man, back!" he intoned the last in a pleading tone, pointing a finger right at Mint's nose, so close to it the mage had to squint to see it, and dramatically stretching a hand over to Asa.

Asa looked unimpressed at Eris, then at Franae, who was looking down at her oatmeal trying to hold a fit of giggles. She then turned her eyes to Taenth, who was giving her the stupidest puppy-eyed look she had ever seen from his seat across from her, and sighed at Mint, then back again.

"They send these sorts to fight monsters?" she asked Fran, who promptly choked on her food while snorting. Truly, at least this was an honorable way out for her to save some money and at the same time keep both Drugum and her parents out of this, for she wouldn't take it past the weaponsmaster to tell on her as the crow flew or her father had business in Emberholm, whichever happened sooner.

"Fine. It will be hard training tho, don't expect mercy from the likes of me just because ye happen to be Kin," she relented, and pulled her own eating knife to start on her meal in silence, which, after a menacing look from her, the others copied, though a smile here and there betrayed their satisfaction.

* * *

 

The wooden bleachers creaked on both sides as Eris was flanked by his father and the weaponsmaster while watching apprehensively as Mint and Briam hurled spells at each other, with Franae frantically casting her magical shields left and right to protect both herself and them, the shimmering magic wards crackling and bulging with the force of the rebounding spells.

"Happy to see Briam attempting to heal someone else for a change," Taenth said in a humorous tone, as Mint teleported at the nick of time before an enormous healing fountain crashed on the ground after being conjured on top of him, and hurled a gust of icy wind forward to deflect the granite shards, that flew straight to Briam, nicking him a bit even after crashing against his protective shield.

Eris whimpered and covered his eyes to avoid seeing Briam hit Franae up the head with his staff, shield and all, as he made the motions to cast a greater heal.

"Ay, it seems with Pinkie's shields he might even  _not_  get anyone grievously wounded this time," Drugum said, giving off a hearty laugh afterwards, and Eris looked through his fingers to see the knobbed end of Briam's staff bounce back and hit his own nose instead, causing the boy to let out a nasty expletive that turned the intended wave of light into a giant golden spear that crashed noisily against Mint's energy shields.

"Pay attention you sod, I'm not made of mana you know!" Fran yelled, all her dainty lady manners forgotten as she ran pale-faced around the boys, unshielded, her hair displaced from where it had been fastened on the side of her neck in a low, pretty ponytail and now sticking out every which way, her flowing white robes, tied around her waist with a sash as pink as her hair in the manner of a dress, definitely not so white and flowing anymore, what with running around in the freezing packed earth while trying to dodge debris flying everywhere.

"Da... master... does it look like  _that_  when it's me and Briam in there too?" Eris asked in a weak voice, his eyes glued on the mage, who was currently reinforcing the mana shield Fran had cast on him with an ice shield of his own, only to have both blown away after being hurled across the arena.

"Yep," his father said.

"Worse, actually. Yon Black down there is more skilled at defending from his healing," Drugum added, and traded a wink with Taenth over Eris' head.

"I'd think you would've called that White boy to help if you were so worried, not your lady friend, tho. I mean, she's doing her best, but," Taenth commented.

Eris lowered his head. "I'm not partnering with him anymore. 'sides, he's never been too fond of Briam. Fran's a snoutband to him, but she'll do her job," he said quietly, without taking his eyes from the arena.

Taenth raised his eyebrows at Drugum, who shrugged back at him. He then put an arm around his son's back in silent support.

* * *

 

_Water dripped in the dark, and Asa moved slowly over the slippery stones, toward the sound of harsh breathing._

_"Pain..."_

_Asa stopped, holding her breath and hugging the wall behind her for a long moment, before she dared inch further along._

_"Agony..."_

_She stopped again and opened her senses the best she knew, moving only when the echo died down._

_"You shall suffer all..."_

_Asa squeezed into a crack between rocks just in time, as the owner of the voice raised a small glow worm, whose feeble light let her see an ancient-looking, deformed face sneering ferociously in front of a hole in the ground._

_The old person – the cracked voice wasn't enough to determine their gender – stretched their other hand into the hole._

_A small growl came from the hole, followed by sucking sounds._

_"Yes... feed... my blood is a sweet price to pay... for the fall of men!"_

_Asa's eyes went round, as the person raised a gnarly, mangled, bleeding hand and cackled, and cackled, the sound mixing with the eerie echoes of a baby's cry._

She gasped as she felt herself fall back, and she opened her eyes to find she was in her small room, half-hanging out of her bed, her legs tangled in the blankets. She freed herself and sat on the floor, groaning and shaking her head.

"By the dragons, I must've eaten too much of that fancy grub," she mumbled, raising a hand to her face, and she froze, seeing the slimy gunk on it. She stood, and found her bedclothes smeared with it. And she knew.

"May a thousand bats get caught in me hair,  _really_? Why does it have to be  _me_?" she groaned, stomping her foot down. "Jai is goan laugh so hard when she hears about this... whoever heard of an Unburdened having the Sights, for crying out loud?"

* * *

 

An hour and a half later she went out to find herself some lunch, and was almost literally dragged to one of the training arenas by the same over-enthusiastic people from that morning, as she crossed them on their way from the main building.

"Ye has to see it, me Da and Drugum are gonna spar next!" Eris said, carrying a large basket through the snowy path.

"Don't worry about food, we brought enough for everyone," Briam completed, half-buried under furs and blankets, waving two large jugs.

"Also the bleachers are shielded from the snow so we won't get too cold at all," Franae said with a smile, having recomposed her looks after the morning sparring session between the two other casters.

"Me uncle told ye lot to drag me along, didn't he?" she asked, unimpressed, and snorted when, among the shouts of denial and blushing faces, she saw the Black mage's impassive eyes dart to her side for a microsecond. "Ye people can't lie to save yer hides, I wonder how can ye expect to stay alive if ye ever need to."

"I have never met an Outcast before," Franae said later, as they ate watching the two overgrown men making utter fools of themselves down in the arena (not that Asa would say that out loud, though with the howling laughter from both Halfling boys whenever Drugum was taunted it was apparently common knowledge of how ridiculous their 'sparring sessions' were). "It must be so, uh, different," she commented with a polite smile.

"Come on, Ma, move those arthritic feet faster, ye're embarrassing me in front of the lads!" Taenth screamed, beating on his shield with his sword.

"And the lady!" Briam shouted down mid-laughter.

Drugum's right eye twitched terribly, before he charged in, an enormous two-handed warhammer in each hand. Franae gave Briam a shocked look, and Asa tapped her shoulder before she could protest.

"Don't, he's right. We Unburdened ain't ladies," she explained, and the girl gave her an interrogating glare.

"That... that is so  _rude_ , though, why?"

"Ladies are burdening wymin, frail folk. We're not," Asa said, and sighed at her uncomprehending gaze. "Wymin like ye can get burdened, with babies, right?" she asked, and Franae's eyes lit up. "Well then. Healer comes and takes our womb out, so we can't. And then we become proper professionals, like our male kin," she explained, grinning.

"Oh skies, but that's  _horrid_! Why would you submit to that?" Franae asked with a horrified face.

"Submit? I beat my twin sister in honorable combat for it, what's  _submit_  have to do with anything?" Asa asked, affronted.

Eris tapped Franae's knee, interrupting them. "Tis done so that the women assassins don't have to worry if, ya know, they be raped," he explained with a serious face. "Tis the custom for their women folk, only a few don't go through it, Fran," he said, looking for Asa for confirmation.

"Aye," she said in a proud tone, "I was supposed to be burdened – that's when you're sent off to marry into another clan – because I'm the elder girl, but I challenged me sister Jai and won. And thus I own me life to do with it as I see fit."

The other girl's lower lip wobbled dangerously, and Asa glared terribly at her, but then the Black mage interrupted with a polite clearing of his throat.

"Your warden has a very good technique, Eris," he commented, and the boy's face closed up, as he stretched his spine up.

"Da isn't me warden, he's me Da," Eris growled in a warning tone.

Mint blinked. "So you're his natural son? I thought you were like the other Halflings."

"Lord Taenth registered him as his son with the Red clan, so no, he's not Erisdar the Yellow, but Erisdar of the Red," Briam said good-naturedly.

Mint gave the protesting Eris a cheeky side-look and a small smirk. "Anyway, your father is very talented. And he seems very close to you."

"Me Da is the best tank in the entire world," Eris said, a lot of pride and a bit of wariness in his tone.

"Ain't it normal for parents to be close to their children amongst ye people?" Asa asked, raising a brow, and Mint lowered his eyes.

"I was conceived in the first month of my parents' marriage," he said quietly. Franae and Briam both gave him commiserating looks.

"So?" Eris asked, sporting a questioning look himself.

"The Blacks still practice Prima Noctis," Franae said quietly, and Mint nodded. Asa's eyes widened.

"Oh. Sorry, mate," she said earnestly. Eris remained dumbfounded, though, and Briam sighed.

"Prima Noctis is the right of the leader of the clan to, er, substitute the groom in the wedding night," he said, and Eris gaped.

"Oh shit, but if that happens how is the husband gonna know if he's the father if the wife gets... knocked... up," he said slowly, and swallowed dry. "Sorry, Mint."

"Yeah. So understandably me and Father aren't very close. Mother did her best, though. Considering." Mint shrugged with the last, and looked wistfully at the fighters in the arena.

"Well... at least you have them. That is good, right?" Franae said, giving him a small smile, which he returned.

* * *

  

An hour later, Asa interrupted the sparring by throwing a marble at the back of Drugum's head. "Enough shenanigans, I wanna get a feel of what I has to fix here," she called out, pointing at Eris.

"Ouch," Drugum complained. "I'll get Miss Franae back to the White quarters then," he muttered, massaging his skull. "Ye're sure about this?" he asked in the same quiet voice, glancing at Taenth questioningly.

"Yes, I think my idea will work. Also that poor gel has had enough rough handling for a day, methinks," Taenth answered, bumping shoulders with him. Drugum huffed.

"Don't get yerself killed," he said in lieu of goodbye, and walked away.

"Don't worry, luv," Taenth replied loudly in a humorous voice, and was immediately flipped off.

* * *

 

"Your Excellency wants me to do  _what_?" Briam asked with a shocked face.

"Use your spells on this training dummy instead of them," Taenth explained, as he hammered the wooden thing in the middle of the arena. "As I watched you and Lord Black this morning I realized even when your friend forgot to keep her own shields up, and got nicked, she was being healed. I believe she was getting the backlash from your spells spreading around the area where they hit."

Eris gave his father a quizzical glance, but before he could say anything Mint raised a speculative hand.

"So the excess energy that he uses might be destructive, but the backlash of it might actually heal. I had noticed he does wield a much larger amount of mana than necessary, but... if your plan works out..." he muttered the last, and crouched on the sand, drawing a few calculations. He raised an impressed gaze at the Red Triumvir. "Offensive healing, what a remarkable concept!"

"Well I dunno what ye're talking about, so keep off the way so's you don't get hit," Asa said, as she crouched and began fiddling with an impressive assortment of small and extremely sharp-looking pointy weapons. "Heads up, these are all poisoned. So if I were ye I wouldn't let them nick anywhere," she called out to Eris, who was stretching on the other end of the arena. He got to his feet, grabbing his shield and axe on the way, and waved it at her in acknowledgement.

Briam kept to another corner, and blew on his fingers, as the fighters took their stances and the watchers took places at the bleachers.

Asa's first move was to throw a bunch of small pointy three-sided tacks, which Eris blocked easily with his shield in one fluid movement from one side to the other. As he did that, she moved on light feet to attack his right side, and Mint held his breath as Eris parried her move and twisted the axe to throw her off him with the blunt knob between the blades.

"So you're new," Taenth said, startling Mint. He looked at him and nodded. "Drug said you turned him into a frog. Seems you've acclimated to the policies here."

Mint swallowed dry, and nodded. "Um, yes, sorry. My House doesn't take well on Halflings, or Browns. And I was, well..."

"Scared half to death," Taenth completed for him, and he nodded again, lowering his head.

"Eris and Briam helped a lot," he said in a quiet tone. "Your son... he is very fond of you. And Briam respects you very much, too."

Meanwhile, Asa had jumped on Eris' back, and was currently garroting his right arm, trying to behead him with his own axe. He struggled against her grip, and threw his back on the ground in an attempt to dislodge her, the motion knocking their heads together at the same time she yanked on the axe reflexively.

Taenth nodded, with a fond smile. "They grew up together, you know. Drugum wanted to formally adopt Briam, but it would be harder for the others to accept him, with a Brown heritage. We do our best, though. Even Volos likes him, tho he doesn't really know what to do with him. I think, however, after tonight that mystery might be sorted out," he said, and pointed to the arena, where both Asa and Eris were currently panting, with large gashes open on each of their cheeks.

Briam bit on his tongue and threw a simple heal spell on the dummy, setting its head on fire. Mint followed the wave of mana reverberating out from it, and saw as the magic closed the wounds on both fighters. "It worked!" he yelled out, standing abruptly. "Guys, it works! Look!"

Eris and Asa touched their respective cheeks, and smiled wickedly. "Good, so we don't have to hold back," she growled, and charged at him, dagger in one hand and a short chain with a very small Morningstar-like pendant on the other, waving in circles.

Mint watched as, in the next half hour, the Unburdened nearly made mincemeat out of his friend. He looked to Taenth in awe as the Triumvir laughed himself sick, returning twofold all the taunts his son had thrown him earlier.

"Aren't you afraid they'll kill each other? Briam's healing is holding very well, but it's not as if he can bring back the dead," he asked in a concerned voice.

"Nah, Asa's still holding back. So's Eris, by the way, they'll only go until one of them passes out," Taenth said.

At this moment Asa jumped behind Eris again, causing him to twist around to block her dagger, and she wrapped the chain around his head, pulling at the same time she jumped off his shoulder.

The sound of ripping meat and Eris' enraged howl made Mint's stomach turn cartwheels. "Oh my," he breathed out as a thin strip of blond scalp hung from the tackle at the end of her chain. Taenth raised an eyebrow at him, but made no comment.

"Ye, ye... ye fiend, ye ripped my face off!" Eris growled, and attacked her in earnest, roaring out as he charged. Asa swung the chain around her head and threw the tackle at him, but he quickly rolled his axe around it and yanked on it, using his shield to smack her in the face.

Briam felt something hit his cheek, and picked it up, his eyes bulging as he recognized a tooth. "Uh, guys?" he called out, before throwing a few healing spells at the training dummy.

Eris and Asa didn't even look at him; they were too busy trying to gauge each other's eyes out, after Asa had kicked him in the particulars and pulled the shield off his left hand.

"Um, uh, guys?" Briam called again between heals, to no avail since both fighters were currently cursing the sky blue in their loudest voices. Asa's right-hand fingers were currently shoved to the knuckle up Eris' nostrils, midway from dislodging his nose from his skull, while her left held his axe at bay. Eris pulled on her hair with all his might with his left hand, his right trying to friendly behead her.

"Leggo me nose ye fustylugs!" Eris screamed, and reversed his tactics, pulling her in for a mighty headbutt, after which he was able to push her away from him. She fell on her back, and jumped up, shaking her head.

"Compliments ain't getting ye nowhere, ye lubberwort!" she growled back at him, and charged again, beginning to rotate around him, trying to catch an opening now that he had only his axe on him. Eris' larger frame worked to his disadvantage, and so he ended up having to move about to help with blocking and dodging her furious slashes.

Suddenly Mint noticed a gleam amidst the sand, and as he saw Eris' foot coming down he covered his face with both hands.

"Ow!" Eris screamed, and jumped away on his other foot. Immediately Asa stopped attacking, and with a victorious grin she huffed and began calmly picking the other tackles from the floor.

"What the hell? I'm not finished with ye yet," Eris panted, and shook his head. "I'mma get ye, ye'll see," he said in a sluggish tone of voice, and took two more jumps, before his eyes rolled and he dropped like a tree in the middle of the arena, the sand raising around him.

"Eh, at least he didn't fall on top of 'em, better than me first time I fought Drugum," Taenth said, and Mint gasped as he saw Briam run to his friend. "Don't worry, he'll be fine, that's just a sleeping poison. By morning the only thing hurting will be his pride." Mint looked back at Taenth and nodded, but still jumped over the bleachers to help with the fallen tank.

"Good game," Asa said as she approached Briam, putting away the last of her weapons. "Yon friend lasted longer than I thought. Won't be a waste of me time."

Briam gulped. "Thank you. Um, I think all your injuries are healed. This poison won't kill him, will it? I can't heal poisoning," he asked meekly.

"No, it'll wear off during the night, tis but a sleeping poison," she explained. "I'll be off then. Tell 'im to be prepared, I'll be teaching 'im three times a week till the end of the month," she finished, and set off after bowing to Taenth, who saluted her. 


	6. 5

“You know, sometimes I wish there was a levitating spell,” Briam said between huffs, and Mint grunted in agreement, as they carried Eris to his room through the freshly snowed tiles of an outer hall in the main building’s inner courtyard. They hadn’t had the gall of asking the Red Triumvir for help, it would’ve been ridiculously shameful for two (nearly) grown men to do that.

They reached a door beside a large shuttered window. Briam placed his hand on the middle of it, and it unlocked, allowing for them to drag their charge in.

“I should get you a key to my room too,” Mint said absent-mindedly, and looked around curiously, having never been in the room before, while they took off their cloaks, after dropping their friend on the floor.

He had once called on Briam at his, and been nearly buried under the mountain of books the healer kept among clothes, candles and other ritualistic tools piled up everywhere.

Mint’s room was much better kept – and he was probably the most surprised one at the fact that, despite all the groaning he had done against getting his stuff in order back at his parent’s home, he ended up being an orderly lad – and now sported a rug, cheap dark brown curtains that despite their humble look blocked the light effectively when he had the luxury of sleeping late, a few knickknacks that had drawn his eye in the few times he had gone to the markets outside the Academy’s walls, and his most beloved books.

Eris’ room was different from both. It had an unlived feel to it, weapons and armor (mostly chainmail and leather, only a few mismatched pieces of plate since Eris hated full plate armor with a passion) meticulously clean and stored in stands, a wooden bookcase with a side devoted entirely for maps, and the standard bed, chair, table and narrow wardrobe that came with all the rooms.

“How economical, who’d have thought?” Mint mused quietly, as he started the fire, and Briam snorted, pulling the chair over to sit and begin the daunting task of removing Eris’ boots.

“He gave all his childhood books and other things – toys and such – away last year. Just came back from a quest, filled up a chest and took it to the matron at the Home by the East Gate the same day,” Briam explained as he removed an armored sabaton. Mint blinked at him from where he was currently crouched down, unfastening a gauntlet.

“Something happened to him during that quest,” he said, unquestioningly.

“He left with Raziel, one of your clansmen, and a Red girl. Only he and Raz came back. After that he started taking me with but he never told me anything; only the Triumvirate knows.”

Mint and Briam kept silent for a while; Eris’ armor was more flexible but much heavier than plate and removing the numerous layers was hard work.

“Hold him up for me,” Briam asked, and Mint straddled Eris’ knees, pulling him up by his arms and reflexively raising a hand to cradle his head, as it dropped on his shoulder. He then slipped a hand under each of Eris’ armpits, while Briam made quick work of the fastenings in the heavy, dense black leather gambeson, and pulled the black flap up, to slide it over his head. “Come on, mate, push ’im back a bit, the front is stuck,” Briam asked, grunting, and Mint stretched and widened his arms, making way for the cumbersome item to slide up from between his and Eris’ bodies before he relaxed his arms again.

Briam had just started putting the gambeson up on a stand near the door when he heard the tiniest gasp, and looked back, to see the mage frozen in place, his back straight, tense arms still, with Eris’ head on his shoulder, face firmly pressed against his neck. He pursed his lips in amusement and opened the door.

“Where are you going?” Mint called out, barely concealing the alarm in his voice.

“To answer Nature’s call,” he answered.

“I think he’s waking up,” Mint said.

“Better for us if he does, he’ll take the rest of his damn armor off and we can go then. I’ll be right back,” Briam answered, and left the room.

He was but a yard away when he was suddenly pushed against one of the outer hallway’s pillars. “Where are you going?” Raziel asked in a deadly growl.

“Taking a piss before I finish tucking my friend in. You’re out late,” Briam answered coldly.

“You should’ve called me instead of dragging him all the way back like a sack of potatoes, useless Halfling,” Raziel growled. “Have you left the Black alone with him?”

Briam set his jaw and raised defiant brown eyes. “So? I can trust Eris with Mint more than with you, he might’ve got a stiff upper-lip but at least he doesn’t act like a dog in a manger with my best friend!”

“You should be careful not to get out of your pram, boy.”

“Whatever pram gets my friend full of bruises he won’t explain _is_  my bloody pram,  _Lord White_ ,” Briam spat back. “Now with all due respect, I  _will_  take my piss now, so leave if you don’t want to be watered down,” he warned, already unbuttoning his trousers. Raziel glared at him once more, and stomped away.

Briam moved to one of the trees in the snowy courtyard, did his business and quickly went back to the room, where he promptly snorted at seeing Mint in the same awkward, tense stance, with Eris snoring softly at his nape and one arm around his waist. “He didn’t wake up then?”

“No, and will you please help me out of this predicament before he does,” Mint answered in an embarrassed tone. Briam moved around to pull the chainmail hauberk off his friend, and apologized.

“It’s fine, just please hurry,” Mint replied, lowering his face while he helped take off the hauberk and the heavily padded woolen aketon from under it, leaving Eris in his linens.

“Can you get his codpiece off please? I’ll help you move him,” Briam asked absentmindedly, laying Eris back down on the wooden floor.

After a minute without response, he raised his head to see Mint frozen in place yet again, looking down at the codpiece and back up at him, his face impenetrable as usual except for the tip of his ears, that nearly glowed in an alarming beet-red color.

“Don’t worry Milord, I can vouch our friend’s trouser-snake is as unconscious as he is,” Briam said jokingly, and Mint’s eyes widened a fraction.

“Stop jesting, it can’t be that unusual for someone to feel, well, out of sorts with tasks like these, I mean…” Mint scratched under his chin nervously.

Briam looked at him quizzically, and then realized. “You don’t think he’s naked under that, do you? Haven’t you ever used one?” he asked, and Mint’s face started matching the color of his ears so fast, Briam was sure his friend would develop apoplexy.

“Of course not, I’ve always used magic shields,” he said, outraged, and Briam laughed.

 “Fine, then, just unbuckle the thing, he’s perfectly prim and proper under it.” He waved a hand, and Mint clumsily undid the straps holding the armor in place. “Now pull it off so we can get him in his pants, dump him on his bed and we can leave.”

It took them ten more minutes to get Eris off his leg armor, which included splint armor cuisse, poleyn and schynbalds over battle chainmail chausses, over heavily padded woolen breeches, over linen pants.  ‘Now, if the idiot had worn studded sabaton soles over his boots,’ Mint thought, ‘we would’ve been spared a lot of trouble’.

“If my Nanny saw me now she’d think I’ve been in the wars,” Briam complained after they had finally dumped their now nearly unwrapped friend on his bed. Mint grunted his assent as he pulled on his cloak, and Briam moved to leave, to find his arm being held back.

“You think it safe to leave him by himself?” Mint asked quietly, “I mean, this morning…”

Briam gave him a smile and a pat in the hand. “Eh, I’m sure he’ll be all right, whatever that was it’s all done with,” he said, and they left.

Twenty minutes later, Mint creeped back, alone, and summoned a small snow elemental from the courtyard in front of Eris’ door. He crouched down when the animated snowball rolled toward him.

“You see that door behind me?” he asked, and a tiny ball with two dark eyes formed over the body. It nodded. “Watch over it until the person in there leaves. If anyone goes in there, show me who it is,” he commanded, and the elemental rumbled quietly.

“It’s fine if you wake me, just do it,” Mint ordered, and left. The elemental jumped on the low wall separating the courtyard from the hallway, and collapsed against a pillar, disguising as snowdrift, with only two pinpricks of darkness to betray its true nature.

* * *

  

 

“So how did it go with the Black bastard?” Drugum asked, adding a log to the fire in the hearth. Taenth made a derisive noise and gulped some tea before answering.

“Ye give ‘im a finger and he wants your arm, like always. And the other Families are as usual blind to his glamour. At least Volos isn’t a complete idiot, and Venia knows the serpent she has for a brother, so we can reasonably count Emberholm safe from Kemoth. Can’t be sure he won’t be knocking at the Red walls soon, tho. He’s already got two sons of his as ‘Envoys’ on the court.”

“Tis a pity your own brother can’t see that Kemoth is hairy at the heel,” Drugum commented, shaking his head.

“Still, a house divided against itself cannot stand. I’ve said my piece, but I must abide what the Clan decides,” Taenth said. The door opened, letting in a thoroughly snow-covered Asa.

“Evenin’, uncle, yer Highness,” she greeted in a bored voice, taking off her cloak and boots.

“I tole ye no miscreants would dare brave this shoddy weather, but would ye listen?” Drugum scowled, and she huffed.

“Don’t want to miss on work.” She looked at Taenth with a raised eyebrow. “I hopes yer servants know not to gossip, what with all the other Kin around,” she said.

“Venia has me covered with a doppelganger,” he said with a smirk. “Not all Blacks are tremendous toffs; I mean, fine, the spinster  _is_  one,” he conceded at Drugum’s unimpressed stare, “but not a  _tremendous_  one.”

“Have ye gone to Volos for the tooth?” Drugum asked, and Asa nodded, rubbing her jaw. “Have some milk before bed,” he warned, and she made a derisive noise. “Ye’ll need it for the new one, there’s a pitcher in the cold pantry.”

Asa rolled her eyes and left the room, coming back after a couple of minutes with a mug in her hand. She raised it quietly, and her uncle nodded in approval. “G’night then,” he said, and Taenth bid her a good sleep. She bowed curtly and took to the stairs.

Asa’s room took half the attic, apart from all the old armor and weapons Drugum “studied” (hoarded, more like it), and had a strap bed with a couple of cured bear skins on top of the straps – she shared her mother’s distaste for straw mattresses, the damn things attracted all manner of bedbugs. Everything else Asa owned was, in true Forsaken style, stored in her bottomless pouch.

She drank the milk in one swig, grunting in pain after putting it down. Magically healing lost teeth hurt like a bitch, since they required the body to make a new one, and that took days.

She finished undressing and checking on her leather armor, noticing the need to change a couple of straps, and laid down to sleep, nursing her tender jaw.

And then she was walking, on a long, checkered-tile corridor, until a hand pulled her into an alcove, another quickly covering her mouth. “Shhhh,” she heard, and Jai’s face appeared over her shoulder.

Asa nodded in silence, and Jai let her go, closing the door and motioning for her to follow and hide in a corner, behind the curtains. Using the Forsaken’s hunting sign language, Jai asked Asa if she understood what was going on.

‘Yes,’ Asa signed back. ‘Sights.’

‘Have you had it before?’

‘Yes. Saw a crone. Heard a baby.’

Jai nodded. ‘Old magic.’

Asa nodded back. They both turned when the door opened, watching attentively as a tall old man entered, followed by a haughty-looking Brown woman dressed all in black; as they watched their shadows, Asa recognized the strange being she had seen in the cave in her previous Sighting as the true form of the ‘woman’.

“Everything is ready, milord. Are all the pieces in place as I requested?” the ‘woman’ asked in a raspy, subdued tone. The old man nodded.

 “My seed is spread,” he replied with an anticipating smirk. “You are absolutely  _sure_  nothing can befoul our plan?” he asked.

“It is as I said, milord. Once the spell is cast, only your magic can break it,” she said. “As long as it is cast on Drake’s Night, everything will be perfect.”

Asa felt a tugging on her arm, and turned to Jai, who put a hand over her eyes.

“Ok, we can talk now.”

Asa opened her eyes, and looked around. They were in a large tent, a brazier in a corner providing some light. Two figures slept curled around each other over furs on a pallet across from them. She raised an eyebrow at her sister, who scowled at her.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not all  _that_  unhappy. Anyway, what make you of what we’ve just seen?”

“Drake’s Night comes in two moons, so if the Kin’s bloody schemes spill our way we’ll be sure to know,” Asa replied, shrugging. “Ain’t our business if it don’t.”

“Ye really think we seen this for naught?” Jai asked with a frown.

 Asa shrugged again. “Mum always said most of Sighting was rubbish. Not sayin’ we can’t warn the clan. Will ye do that?” she asked with a hopeful look.

Jai scoffed. “Fine, I’ll keep the fact ye’re Seeing too to meself. After all, ye don’t have the brains to interpret the Sights anyway.”

* * *

  

It was morning, and Franae was having her porridge quietly when a tray slamming on the table beside her seat made her jump in fright.

“Mornin’,” Asa grumbled as she sat on the bench. Franae answered the greeting with a meek nod, still not knowing how to deal with the Outcast.

Sure, she knew women who worked: maids, nannies, governesses, seamstresses, cooks. And it was true that Dragonkin and Halfling women also “worked” after a fashion, in their Academy days, as part of their higher education.

But Asa wasn’t Dragonkin, or Halfling, and she didn’t do womanly jobs. She was a commoner; in fact, she was lower than a commoner, for she was Outcast, a mercenary assassin, a thief. Someone who dealt in violence for whoever paid the best, who willingly gave up her womanhood in order to remain dealing in violence for the rest of her life.

And still, Asa had saved her from a rapist murderer. Had captured and executed him, and been quite civil with Franae, even after becoming aware of Franae’s stupid ploy to commit Lord Teminth to her.

It all disturbed Franae’s mind to no end. Even Red women dreamed of being married, of forming a family, though they did see themselves as nearly equal to their male kin. And to find a husband a woman had to have certain assets, behave in a proper manner. Would Asa be looking forward to a life of loneliness? Surely no one would marry such a woman, someone who couldn’t help a man continue his line?

“Ask already, milady,” Asa said suddenly, and Franae whipped her head away. “Can’t eat with people staring at me, so ye better get it out of ye, ‘m hungry.”

Franae swallowed dry. “I’m sorry,” she said, and licked her lips in nervousness. “Just… didn’t… didn’t you want to find love? To build a family?”

Asa gave her a really long look. “Me people don’t see breedin’ as important for everyone. Breedin’ is for those girls who are to be burdened, but the children belong to the clan. It matter less who made them than who raised them.”

Franae’s eyes widened. “But… aren’t there marriages? How can the mothers and fathers just allow that?”

“Marriages between one man and one woman only happen between clan leader’s firstborns,” Asa explained. “Like me sister Jai, she’s been married to the Shadow leader’s eldest son, and she’ll only bear his children, to keep his line going. But cousin Luna, who’s me Da’s firstborn cousin from his uncle, was married into the Unseen clan, and there she can bed whatever man she believes will make good children for the clan.”

Franae’s jaw nearly hit the table. “But… she’d never have a husband!”

Asa scowled at her. “Tis better than being pushed on some idiot who’ll treat you badly for being female. Outcast wymin who can be burdened are revered by the men. None would be caught dead treating a gel like the common folk or the Kin do, or else he’d not only never breed but no man or Unburdened would ever bed him.”

Franae didn’t even have time to process what she heard before Asa pointed her chin at a table up front to the right. “Who’s the posh White tryina glare yon Black intended to death?”

Franae followed the movement and saw Raziel snarling and glaring daggers at Teminth, who was moving along the line to retrieve his breakfast. “Um, that is Lord Raziel,” she said in an embarrassed voice.

Asa made a noncommittal noise in her throat, and watched as Raziel followed Mint’s movements like a royal cook watches a rat invading his kitchen.

Raziel’s knuckles went white when Eris and Briam entered the mess hall looking around for a second before making a beeline for Mint, and when Mint noticed his friends incoming, fidgeting before composing himself into his usual calm and collected manner, Asa was sure Raziel cracked a couple of teeth, his jaw was that tight. She watched as the three friends came up the aisle in their direction, and in two different moments both Briam and Eris sent glares towards Raziel, who huffed at the first, and looked away with a badly concealed hurt expression at the other.

The last one made Asa hide a chuckle by scratching her head, and the assertive way with which both Eris and Briam slammed their trays on the table, flanking Mint, made her hide a snort in a cough. Especially with Mint flashing a surprised expression before carefully taking his place between them.

Boys were usually quite immature, but Kin boys took the cake, she decided.

* * *

 

“I saw me sister tonight,” Jai said, and Beric smiled at her from across the low table, as he sprinkled cinnamon on her porridge.

“She getting the Sights too then?” he asked, rising and picking up the breakfast tray, bringing it carefully to their bed. Jai looked down at the food and up at him through her bangs, noticing again how his curls caught the light that slipped through the tent flaps, and how well they matched his dark brown, lively eyes.

“Yes. Tell anyone and I’ll kill ye.”

He grinned at her, and Jai felt a butterfly flapping in her stomach.


	7. 6

The page took a breath and bowed beside the table. “Milord Erisdar of the Red,” he started, and Eris raised a hand lazily, “Milord Teminth of the Black,” Mint’s eyes widened and he raised his hand slowly, while Eris clapped his back, “Sir Briam the Grey,” and Briam high-fived Eris, “Lady Franae the Pink,” and Franae froze, before the boys’ cheering calls made her raise her hand, “And, eh, um, er….” the page stuttered, looking warily at Asa, who licked the side of her dagger while giving him a pointed look, “Uh, Outcast Asa of the Forsaken,” he said, and Asa grunted in approval, “The Triumvirate has a quest for you, if you’ll please follow me,” he finished, bowing again.

They rose and followed, Franae’s heart fluttering in nervousness until Briam gave her an encouraging smile, and she saw the self-assured way Asa walked. She smiled back, tightly but hopefully.

They were led to the Headmistress’ library, instead of the usual dispatch office. Inside, behind a long table, the whole of the Triumvirate awaited them.

Eris stood at the head of the group, and kneeled with his head bowed, followed by everyone but Asa, who, being Outcast, kneeled for no one.

“I am still not sure about this,” Volos muttered.

“Too bad you’re only one and we’re two, then,” Taenth replied, nodding to Asa in acknowledgement.

“You may rise,” Venia said, and the group rose as one. “We have a problem with the salamanders from the Agni Gorge near the village of Rustshade, east of the White lands. Apparently, some people in the area thought it was a good idea to take their young, the salamanders took offense and are now holding all the village children hostage.”

“Lemme make a wild guess, one of ye White nobs thought it’d be cute to light their cigars in salamander spit,” Asa said derisively, and Volos’ ears tipped red. She rolled her eyes, and turned around towards the exit.

“Tessith the White offered five hundred gold pieces for whoever rescues the children,” Taenth mentioned as Asa started taking her second step, and she swiveled back on one foot, as the rest of the group gaped and Briam started counting on his fingers feverishly.

“When do we leave?” Eris asked with a huge grin.

“Wait,” Asa interrupted him. “Half upfront, _then_ we leave. Some people here has no gear, and Milady over there is a veritable fire hazard, what with them flowing robes and gauzy dresses.”

Venia wordlessly put five money pouches on the table. “You leave at six in the evening. Lord Teminth, I gather you have memorized the portal spell to the University already, for use when you are done with the quest?” she asked, and smirked when he nodded. “Please meet me in my office by then, I will open a portal to Rustshade for you. You are dismissed.”

“Good gravy, this is the most money I’ve ever seen at one time!” Briam whispered, before biting on a coin.

Fran walked holding her own coin pouch in front of her, reverently, with a fearful face.

“Anyone ask how many children are we talking about? I mean, yes, salamanders are fire monsters, they’re dangerous, but _this_ dangerous?” Mint asked, shaking his coin pouch for emphasis.

“Well maybe they don’t know I’m immune to fire,” Eris said smugly.

“Yeah right, better hope like hell they only use fire against ye then, dragons forbid there’s debris on the floor for ye Fiery Immunityness to trip and drop on yer arse,” Asa retorted from where she was walking, at the back of the group, and Fran snorted, quickly covering her mouth with a hand as they neared the stables.

Eris froze, before turning around and sputtering in righteous fury. “It was NONCE!”

“Yes, that was all it took, wasn’t it?” Mint said in a mocking tone, and slapped his shoulder, looking back to wink at the others, before moving to dress his horse.

Fran and Briam were forced to hold onto each other to avoid dropping to the ground with laughter, Eris giving them a betrayed look before stomping his way into the stables.

Twenty minutes later the four horses were ready, the riders quizzically looking at Asa.

“Ain’t got one,” she muttered, already near the main gate, on foot.

“Oh, uh… if it would please you, you could ride with me,” Fran offered. “Um, until you get your own, of course.”

Asa stood quietly for a while, and then turned, moving stoically next to Fran’s horse. “Thank you,” she muttered, and took the offered hand, mounting up behind her.

Five minutes later Eris stopped his horse in the middle of Wizard Road, and turned around to stare at Fran. “Well?” he asked in a frustrated tone, and she blinked owlishly.

“Was wondering when ye’d ask,” Asa said from behind Fran, leaning on her left side. “Turn right on Spruce Route, we’re going to The Scary Traveller on Fortune Passage,” she instructed, and he frowned at her. “Never heard of the place,” he said, and she smirked.

“Yer not supposed to.”

* * *

  

“Wow,” Briam whispered, and Mint nodded, speechless.

The store was a hidden room at a crone’s house. The old wise woman stood watching them like a hawk: apparently she was an acquaintance of Asa’s mother, and the place catered especially for Outcasts.

Wise women were an oddity among the Brown, much like the Outcast. They were slightly touched by magic, mostly in the form of precognition and an innate understanding of the natural world. Hence, due to necessity, they filled in as healers and apothecaries for the common folk, due to the outrageous prices charged by the White nobility.

The room was way, way bigger on the inside than the house looked from outside, no doubt the result of spells, and it housed all manner of magical weapons, armor, and other gadgetry. Briam saw Asa pulling a sparkly-eyed Fran over to a clothes rack filled with practical, durable armor, and Eris made a beeline for a shelf covered in various trinkets and jewelry, with a sign advertising “Stamina Enhancer Sale!!!”

“I’ve only heard of such places,” Mint muttered in awe, gravitating toward a display with various wands.

“If ye Kin don’t mind advice, both of ye should go for Intellect enhancing items,” the old crone told them. “Most go for the fancy-looking stuff like spirit-summoning weapons and slowing trinkets, but nothin’ beats good ole raw blastin’ power. Pretty things look good, but power kills ‘em dead, and if ye’re in a bind ye want to kill ‘em as fast and as many as ye can,” she continued, picking up three glass globes. “These for example are quite nifty for the nimble-handed,” she said. “They’ll boost your power for thirty seconds, with a five-minute cooldown.”

Mint stretched a hand and she gave him the globes. He studied them for a minute, and carefully tried rolling them around each other in his hand, but failed, nearly dropping them.

“Let me try them,” Briam asked, and took the trinkets, quickly catching up on how to work them with his left hand. Soon they were spinning quickly around each other, and a low hum of power could be heard.

“Bigger palm, shorter fingers,” Briam said in response to Mint’s defeated pout, and laughed.

“Oh well, at least all you need is a main weapon now, and you’ll be set,” Mint said, and went to explore further down the room.

Meanwhile, Fran was in a small dressing room near the very back, feeling quite awkward in the figure-hugging armor Asa had chosen her. At least it was white, she thought, appraising herself in the full mirror. The armor looked a lot like Lord Raziel’s battle ensemble, although the front had special padding and instead of leather the top was mostly magical mesh fabrics, while the trousers were leather-padded. 

She slipped out of the dressing room shyly, and Asa nodded in approval, and pushed her over to where the boys were perusing weapons, trinkets and assorted amulets.

“Oh good, we won’t have to worry about ye trippin’ on yer skirts,” Eris commented as she passed by, and she lowered her eyes as Mint glanced at her on cue with Briam’s tiny gasp.

He then turned and caught the longing look on Briam’s eyes, raising his eyebrows a fraction before turning back to the rack of magical swords he was looking at. “It’s very sensible,” he commented, and nudged Briam’s side before he passed out from not breathing. “Don’t you think, Master Offensive Healer?” he asked casually.

“Mmmwahhh…” Briam breathed out in the smallest whisper, glassy-eyed. Fran gave him a haughty look and frowned as she passed them towards the wand display, and Mint waved his hand in front of Briam’s face while ferociously biting on his lower lip, tears of mirth in his eyes, not noticing Eris’ furtive look and even more furtive smirk at him.

Half an hour later they were all, as Asa had promised, “Properly geared,” or as Briam said, “so full of nifty gadgetry they’d have no use for the loot,” including invisibility brooches for all of them, which Eris had complained loudly against.

Asa snorted as she made her way from the back, carrying a bunch of waist pouches. “No use for the loot? Trust me, there’s ALWAYS use for loot. By the way, take these,” she said, handing a pouch each to Briam, Fran and Eris. “Where’s yon mage? Mage!” she called out.

Mint had been making his way back from the end of the store as well, but had stopped in his tracks at the clothing section, his eyes riveted on an article on a shelf just out of reach of his hands. He gasped loudly, heart fluttering.

It was gorgeous. It was impressive. It was…

“A pointy hat?” Eris asked, walking close by, and chuckled, pushing it off the shelf with the grip of his sword. It floated down into Mint’s waiting arms, and he inspected it as he caught it, cradling it against his chest for a moment before resolutely putting it on and strapping it under his chin.

The other three watched from the counter, and Fran gave out a sullen sigh. “Yep, there goes yer hope of a respectable husband in that one, Milady,” Asa muttered, snickering at the ridiculous sight of the tall boy and his black, wide-brimmed, silk-banded pointy hat. He quickly moved to a nearby mirror, creased the brim and toyed with the pointy-end, which was apparently either mechanically or magically structured, until it pointed backwards.

“That,” Eris breathed out quietly in a wheezy tone between silent bouts of laughter, the sight so hilarious he had gone beyond pushing sound out of his throat, “is the most ridiculous article of clothing I have ever seen, yer Mintness.”

“It is a mighty symbol of magic power, I say,” Mint rebutted with an indignant voice. “Or it will be someday,” he added quietly. “No matter. I love it. Also,” he said, pulling on its label, “It works just like a bottomless bag, so there you go, I’ll have _two_ places to carry my luggage.”

“Eh, ye dost know that the term bottomless bag means ye only need the one, right?” Eris asked with a smirk, and Mint threatened him with a fireball.

* * *

  

They moved through the city, stocking up on food, drink, potions, elixirs, and despite the complaints from the healers, bandages and assorted medicines, those on Eris’ orders.

“Briam I don’t care that yer spells’ fallout can heal us, Fran has nearly no mana - no offense Fran, tis the truth – and as a group we’re untried. I’m not losing any of ye and I’d pretty much like to come back whole despite how long the fights may be, thank ye very much,” he had said, and that was that – even if Mint had scowled at the blatant lack of trust in his abilities.

Mint remembered Briam telling him back when he had first seen Eris fight of his terrible attitude when it came to teamwork, and how he generally mistrusted damage dealers. That mood had seemingly been rising in him throughout the day, with Eris’ countenance becoming more authoritarian and unforgiving despite the good mood he had been in the morning, and Mint couldn’t help closing himself off in response, though by now his friends recognized it as being a knee-jerk reaction of insecurity and didn’t take it personally.                                                                                                                        

On the other hand, it seemed Asa’s presence helped Fran fret less about the whole thing, and that was a relief. Mint wasn’t used to girls as he grew up; he had no siblings, and his father refused to live in the court with their relatives, so the only women Mint had had contact with were older than him, either his mother or her maidservants.

He had been schooled on the proper etiquette between men and women, of course, but honestly the lessons had left him unimpressed. His preceptors thought it unseemly for a man to approach a woman unless he had the intention to marry her, which seemed, to Mint, an entirely stupid notion. How else could men and women learn to see each other as people if they couldn’t even be civil to each other without having that civility be shrouded in second intentions?

* * *

 

By the time they got back to the University even Briam was tense.

“There goes our sleep for tonight,” he muttered as they moved to the Headmistress’ office. Fran gave him a startled look, and he nodded, scowling. “Eris’ gonna push us straight into enemy territory without resting.”

“Why would he do that?” Franae asked quietly.

“He’s got his tunnel-vision face on. I hope you’ll grow to like resting on the hard ground, it’s that and hardtack for us until this quest is over, I’m afraid.”

She saw a glimpse of Eris’ stern face further ahead as he turned right on the hallway, and noticed as people simply parted for him to pass. Mint walked two steps behind him, while she and Briam walked side by side, and Asa brought up the rear.

The University bell chimed six o’clock in the moment Asa closed the door behind her.

“The portal will take you directly to the town square, where the mayor is waiting for you. He will provide you with horses and more information as to the location of the salamanders’ lair,” Lady Venia stated in lieu of a greeting. “Lord Teminth,” she called, and gave him a scroll. “Memorize the spell as quickly as you can, you will need to open a portal so the children are returned safely. May your endeavors be successful,” she completed, and opened the portal.

* * *

 

Rustshade was small, dry and poor. There wasn’t even pavement in what passed for a village square, and fine red dust rose as Mint came through the portal following Eris.

A greasy-looking man in fine clothing and the traditional sash donned by the vassals to the Dragonkin clan who were imbued with the office of mayor to represent their ruler’s colors (white in this case) gave each member of the party a cursive look before approaching Mint and bowing to him, completely ignoring the others.

“Milord Black, it is an honor to receive your aid and that of your servants,” the man said in an ingratiating tone, and Mint blinked in shock. He looked to his left and saw Eris’ jaw was tersely locked, his face hard but resigned at the humiliation.

Mint remembered how he had treated Eris as they first met, and flinched internally, thanking his stars for having thought over his attitude and deciding to drop his guard around them. No wonder Eris didn’t take well to teamwork if every quest he had to lead started this badly for group morale.

He turned an icy look at the sniveling mayor. “You will fetch us a trusty map and good, healthy horses, and make it sure that your best stallion is among them, for Lord Erisdar of the Red will take no less than the strongest steed,” he all but snarled at him, motioning to his friend. “I will be inspecting them as you then explain the situation to Lord Erisdar and our healers, and so help me, if I see you ignoring your betters again I will sic the Unburdened on you and yours,” he signaled with his right hand, and Asa stepped beside him, idly juggling a dagger with a sardonic smile on her face.

The small crowd gathered at the square took two steps away from them as one, the villagers’ faces going ashen with fear.

The man visibly shrunk at the scolding. “Of course, Milords. Please forgive this humble servant, Lord Erisdar, Lord Black, Milord, Milady,” he groveled, bowing deeply to each except Asa, to which he showed his empty palms, and retreated, barking orders.

They left the village towards the gorge less than twenty minutes later. Eris was riding an enormous and surefooted black stallion at the front with Briam, both having studied the maps and decided on how best to approach the enemy territory. Fran rode between them and Mint and Asa, who brought up the rear together for protection.

The assassin watched Mint’s satisfied expression as they rode the red earth along the badlands.

“Anyone ever tell ye ye’re strange for a Black?” she asked, and he shook his head. “Ye are, really. No offense, but the Kin in ye is thinner than most, despite yer stiff upper-lip.”

He snorted. “I’ll take that as a compliment, but there was less compassion than practicality back there, Eris’ armor is much too heavy, a weak horse wouldn’t survive the ride and time is of the essence.”

She gave him a side look, raising her eyebrow at the same time. “Still, ye could’ve done it without savin’ their faces. Shows ye respects ‘em. Even if ye don’t really have to.”

“I do,” he said in a pensive voice, his eyes fixed on the armored blonde ahead. “And I hope to earn their trust in battle, if possible.”

Asa didn’t mind him not mentioning her. Unburdened weren’t known for trusting anyone. It was good to know the Black mage was aware of that.


	8. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so still no fight yet. Calm down children, fighting is near, battle scenes will abound. I finished this chapter as it is because I realized I'd rather give out some context before the action so that the events that happen in the next few chapters are easier to understand. I know the story moves a little slowly because of that but eh, I'd rather err on the side of caution and avoid misunderstandings further on. 
> 
> Please tell me what you think, feedback literally feeds me. As always, old English expressions and insults used are Googleable, but if there's anything you need clarifying, just yell, I'll be happy to help.

The Waxing moon looked down unimpressed as Mint rode upfront, cursing the night black as he held his left arm up, powering a light globe spell.

"Bloody unmuzzled, clay-brained, muck-spouting, golden-eyed rantallion, I’ll kill him myself,” he muttered through his teeth as his arm burned both from the forced position and the mana coursing through it for hours.

The thing was, horses weren’t nocturnal animals. So they needed bloody light to run at night. They were also very much not made to run hours and hours, so not only Mint was being worked to the bone upfront, but Fran was frantically shielding the beasts against damage and Briam was periodically healing a tree hard enough to make it catch fire, both to keep the horses healed and keep night predators away so the beasts wouldn’t panic, stampede and break everyone’s necks in the process.

And where was Lord “I am immune to fire” Erisdar? Why, he was behind everybody, prodding them onwards at a punishing gallop for the last three hours as if they were made of mana, the klazomaniac!

Mint grated his teeth and raised his right arm up, wheezing in relief when Asa, who had been flanking the casters along the way, pulled up to his side. “I can’t keep this up for much longer, tell that gormless tosser if we don’t find shelter very soon I will kick his ass back to the last farm we passed by!”

She gave him a lazy salute and let her horse fall back, passing by Briam’s chants of “I’ll kill him, I’ll kill him, I’ll kill him,” and Fran’s fearful whimpers until she reached the reason for the casters’ malcontent.

“Yon lamplighter’s cracking up and the lass gonna faint soon. Methinks it’s time to find shelter, not that ye’ve asked,” she said, and he nodded.

“Keep them going until I come back or ye reach me,” he said over the sound of the hooves, and pulled to the side, picking up speed.

“Where the sard are you going?” Mint yelled as Eris passed by him, his horse still gaining speed.

Less than five minutes later he was back, turning his horse around and motioning for the others to slow down.

“There’s a small ruined tower upfront, we’ll spend the rest of the night there,” he announced, and Asa stretched a hand to catch Fran from falling off her horse in relief.

“I should turn you into a piglet and roast you for this, you bell end,” Mint growled without dignifying Eris with a glance, missing the teasing look he gave him in turn while smirking. “Why yer Mintness, I had no idea such words could come out of thine lips, especially seen as all I’ve done is see to thine safety by measuring how long the three of ye casters can work together afore ye all run out of mana,” Eris replied, and gave him a mocking salute before leaving him there gaping to veer left and dismount next to the small ruin by the road.

Briam tiredly slapped Mint’s arm as he passed by, and got a shocked look in response. “Tis true,” he wheezed, “He does it to all new groups. Still wanna kill’im every damned time he does it.”

“If it’s any consolation, he did stop when _ye_ complained, the others been bashing on for the last half hour and bawling about it,” Asa said humorously as she dragged Fran’s horse, with Fran currently draped over it in a pitiful state, her hair standing up everywhere and drenched with sweat that dripped down her dust-covered and wheezing face, to the hitch rail next to an old water through Eris was already filling up from a nearby well, after pulling up an oil lamp from his bag, lighting it and hanging it up on an ancient nail protruding from a nearby post.

“Come on big boy, drag’er in, I’ll get us a fire going,” Asa said, nonchalantly pushing Fran off her saddle with her foot for Briam to catch and getting off her own horse before tying the two beasts next to Eris’.

Mint dropped from his own mount and brought the thirsty beast to the through as well, while Eris was busy heaping some feed for the horses a few feet from the hitch post, close enough for the beasts to reach it but far enough it wouldn’t get soggy or trampled.

“Why did you work us off like that tonight, Eris?” Mint asked in a serious voice, moving in front of him. “If you wanted to know our endurance all you needed was ask me and Fran, you know it’s the first thing a caster learns to gauge.”

“I needed to see it, it’s a tank thing,” Eris muttered without raising his head.

“No it isn’t, it’s podsnappery is what it is! You don’t trust us, do you? You don’t trust _me_ , that’s why you pushed the others until I asked for us to stop,” Mint growled as his eyebrows tightened in realization, and he made to reach for Eris. “I thought we were bloody mates, man!” he exclaimed, pursing his lips when he flinched away from him.

“Being mates won’t stop you from dying because you did something foolish or because I misjudged your own abilities when I needed them the most!” Eris spat at him in formal language, tears welling up on his eyes.

Mint froze, his eyes widening as he connected the dots.

_“He left with Raziel, one of your clansmen, and a Red girl. Only he and Raz came back. After that he started taking me with but he never told me anything; only the Triumvirate knows.”_

_“Milord Black, it is an honor to receive your aid and that of your servants,” the man said in an ingratiating tone, and Mint blinked in shock. He looked to his left and saw Eris’ jaw was tersely locked, his face hard but resigned at the humiliation._

“You think it was your fault,” he whispered in shock, watching a couple of fat tears run through Eris’ face as his eyes narrowed in fury from realizing Briam had told Mint about his failed quest; his body went rigid and he turned around stiffly, stomping away nearly halfway to the entrance of the ruined tower until Mint had the presence of mind to freeze him in place with a spell.

“Mind your own beeswax! Briam shouldn’t have told you in the first place,” Eris growled in a low, angry voice when Mint appeared in front of him, invading his personal space.

“I think I know what happened,” Mint started, thoughtfully. “The damages in your groups never respected you because what happened today at Rustshade is what _always happens_ , and when you couldn’t carry the group by yourself and the damages died you decided it was your fault.” Mint said, keeping his eyes on Eris’ throughout his speech, though the pain in them hurt him, too.

“And what you made us do, you did because it’s a way to force people to acknowledge you know what you’re doing even if you are a Halfling. And you started bringing Briam with you on your quests because you _need_ at least _one_ damage you _know_ will trust you, because you were burning the candle at both ends all by yourself,” he continued, and Eris held his gaze despite the tears.

“Raziel never defended you from the slandering, did he?” he asked, reining in his anger at the White healer, and Eris’ eyes went hard.

“It was not his place to defend me from anything, as it wasn’t yours today,” he growled in righteous anger.

“Actually it was, though. I know we are taught to tolerate and work with each other in the University, but out here isn’t the University, Eris. Out here us pureblooded Dragonkin are seen as superior because we rule. It’s not a problem when everyone in the group is pureblooded, but when there’s a Halfling people _will_ treat them as inferior, especially as powerful Halflings like you and Briam are rare,” Mint replied, and raised a hand as Eris huffed in anger at him. “Let me finish before you get it in my neck, you crumpsy. Part of teamwork is getting your mates’ backs, and if your mate is a Halfling and you’re a pureblood that includes teaching any gobby arsehole their place if they mess with them, because gobby arseholes don’t care for naught except those who force their knees bent. And that includes those in your own circle.”

Eris’ eyes softened. “Ye really are an aptycock toff, aren’t ye Mint?” he mumbled.

“Yeah,” Mint replied quietly. “But I trust you. Please let me prove you can trust me back,” he said, raising a hand instinctively to his friend’s face, but holding back and breaking the spell with it in a fluid motion, pulling it back but having it caught between Eris’ own before he could take a step back.

“Would ye really have sicced Asa on them though?” Eris asked quietly, studying Mint’s hand between his. Mint deadpanned, and whacked him upside the head before trotting off, Eris laughing heartedly while following.

* * *

 

 The inside of the ruined tower still had some of the stone steps and, incredibly, the wooden landing in the first floor relatively intact, enough at least to hold off rain and snow for those below.

“Um, could you help me down here a bit, please?” Briam asked while cleaning a spot on the stone floor.

“Nope. Ye’re the one dangling after ‘er, ye deal with it,” Asa replied from where she sat over a pile of lumber nearby, chewing on something pungent. She laughed as Briam turned several shades of red in quick succession. “Wha? Ye can’t fool any, not after this mornin’.”

Briam pouted at her while moving the unconscious subject of their conversation to the spot he had cleaned and covered with a couple of blankets.

“It’s not like that,” he muttered, and Asa jumped from the pile, helping him get a fire going.

“Could be worse, usually the posher girls set their caps at older toffs,” she said, and he paled.

She gave him a long stare. “She gone after them too?” she asked in an incredulous tone.

“You don’t understand, it’s hard for us Halflings, and worse for the girls,” he mumbled, standing up and rubbing his hands together for warmth. “Tis not right to judge. And Fran is a good person, really.”

Asa shrugged. “Eh. Who knows, maybe ye’ll get yer fair crack of the whip yet,” she said with a smirk.

They turned around to the sound of Eris and Mint getting in. “It’s monkeys outside, I hope the horses survive ‘till morrow,” Eris stated as a greeting. “What’s the nosh?”

“Cat’s arse and cabbage,” Briam said; Mint put a kettle with water over the fire to make their tea, and sniffed the air. “Are you chewing mandrake root?” he asked, and gave Asa a puzzled look.

“Want some?” she asked with a knowing grin.

“No thank you,” he answered quickly, his face guarded, and cleared his throat. “I was just… surprised, that’s all.”

Asa let out a laugh. “Don’t worry, it won’t turn me into a slapper, don’t work like that fer wymin’, it just takes some o’ the tired off me bones.”

“What does it do with men?” Briam asked.

“Spices up their meat and two veg,” she said nonchalantly, and both Briam and Eris’ mouths opened in a silent “Oh” as their eyebrows went up in shock.

“What sort of meat and veg?” Fran asked in a sleepy voice, and Mint covered his face with both hands as Asa howled in laughter.

“Uh, no offense ma’am, but what if we have to, well, er…” Briam asked after their meal, looking at the booby-trap set by Asa.

She looked at him from the corner where she had just tied something to a peg and made as if tying a knot, and he blushed. “Um, are you sure it’ll hold if the salamanders find us here?”

“Or mages,” Mint completed.

She gave them an evil grin. “There _is_ a reason people fear us, but never mind. Ye’re a mage, Lord Black. Wanna try it?”

“How about we all just thank our Unburdened friend for her _generosity_ with setting up this protection so we _all_ can sleep and replenish our energy for the morrow?” Eris said in a conciliatory tone, pulling Briam and Mint back.

“I’ faith, ye eejits want to get yer throats cut,” he whispered to them when they reached their campfire in the middle of the ruin’s floor.

“Eris, this isn’t the city, we’re dealing with actual salamander people who _spit fire_ , we should keep a watch rotation,” Mint whispered back.

“I’m not arguing with that, but ye just attempted to demerit Asa’s trap like she’s a dogsbody, ye suicidal gits! Shut the sard up and pretend ye’re asleep!” Eris muttered through his teeth, and pushed them down, before pulling a thin blanket from his bag and wrapping himself in it, lying down between them.

Briam looked to his other side, where Fran was curled up on thick furs but still shivered, and had his view blocked by a pair of brown boots.

“Methinks ye’d like to wake up with yer nuts still on, lad. Alas, I won’t leave ye in the lurch, even tho yer pillowy warmth shall be sorely missed,” Asa said from above him, before joining Fran under the furs.

Briam frowned.

“Did she just call me fat?”

* * *

 

Back in Emberholm, Atizz knocked on Raziel’s door with caution, balancing a bowl of soup in his other hand.

“Milord? Um, I’ve brought you dinner.”

“Go away!” was the muffled response through the door. Atizz cringed, but knocked again.

“Milord, please? Everyone is worried,” he pleaded.

Raziel hadn’t been himself ever since the Halfling girl’s scheme had backfired, but today took the cake, with him storming through the main building mid-morning and locking himself into his room for the remainder of the day.

So when he hadn’t come down for supper, the Whites drew lots to choose who would cater to their angry leader.

Atizz reflexively jumped a couple of steps back as the door suddenly opened to reveal his haggard-looking, puffy-eyed lord.

Raziel’s eyes narrowed even further, and he pulled him by the collar, the bowl Atizz had been carrying shattering on the floor between them.

“ _You_ ,” Raziel growled, shaking the boy back and forth. “ _You_ told him,” he snarled, and Atizz shook from head to toe, looking up in terror.

“Milord, please don’t kill me, I had to do it, or they’d think I was in cohorts with the man who assaulted the Halfling girl, milord, the Unburdened…” the boy pleaded loudly, and a couple of maids poked their heads out into the hallway in curiosity. Both Whites looked at them, Atizz mouthing for help and his lord glaring bloody murder for a second, before turning his head to him again.

“You were lucky this time. _There won’t be another_ ,” Raziel muttered darkly on Atizz’s ear, before pushing him with such force the boy crashed against the wall across the hallway. Atizz watched dizzily as his lord slammed the door, frightening the maids into a huddle, and then hurriedly left.

Raziel slowly slid to a crouch against the door on his side, muffling angry sobs with his right fist as his tears returned.

* * *

 

Eris jumped up to the sound of a blood-curling scream, elbowing Mint in the face and kneeling Briam’s ass in the process of standing and grabbing for his sword, for the two of them had gravitated towards his body heat during the night, and found himself face to face with a terrified, immobile Franae framed against the light of the golden hour, hovering upside down in the entrance with a large, gray, hairy and quite smug-looking spider perched on her nose.

“Stop making a cake out of yerself, milady, tis not proper,” Asa muttered as she sat up.

“Get this ORRIBLE thing off me!” Fran shrieked in indignant terror, and Eris stretched his sword.

“Don’t ye dare,” Asa growled, jumping up and stumbling over to the ancient doorframe. “Come here, Ottis, who’s a good boy then? There ye go,” she cooed as the animal creeped up to her shoulder. She then snapped her fingers at the pouch on her thigh and grabbed a handful of yellow powder, before stepping back and blowing it over the hanging girl, who tumbled down as the thin strands of web holding her up snapped.

“Goldthorn pollen, only way to escape a glass spider’s web,” she grumbled sleepily. “Now ‘scuse me, milady, I has to see a man about a dog,” she said, and leaped over Fran to go outside.

Mint poked Briam’s side as Eris helped Fran get up. “You were watching her, where did she get the spider out of?” he asked in puzzlement.

Briam shook his head, equally baffled. “Never mind that, _what_ in the world is a glass spider?” he replied in a hushed breath.

* * *

 

It turned out they were just another hour from the ruins of Drake’s Nest, the gigantic ancient gates at the entrance of the Agni Gorge. Their name was the only memory left from what no doubt had been a huge court of an enormous kingdom, before the dragons disappeared and the great plague had killed everyone but the Dragonkin.

They passed through with wondering looks at the remains, the ancient stones covered with worn symbols of a dead language on the outside, and parts of the ramparts still standing on the inside.

“Oh, cock!” Eris commented succinctly as he saw the thick, dead, thorny forest surrounding the only road inside the gorge.

“Yep, with biscuits and gravy. Come on ye young bloods of the Fancy, ev’ryone off the cattle, we goan do this the pleb way!” Asa announced glumly as she dismounted.

“But… there’s a perfectly serviceable road,” Fran pointed out, frowning.

Mint saw Eris freeze in the act of turning his horse around, saw Asa almost choke herself swallowing, and decided to intervene before Fran suffered an unfortunate accident.

“The salamander people probably have a few watchposts on the road, though, so it really wouldn’t be in our best interest to use it,” he commented, and she made a silent “Oh” with her mouth, and nodded.

“Of course, silly me, apologies,” she said in an apologetic tone, and dismounted.

Asa gave Fran such a pained smile Mint thought he heard it creaking like a rusted gate. “Don’t worry milady, no one was born knowing everything,” she said in a forgiving tone. Fran smiled gratefully back at her, and Asa turned around, Mint catching a peek at the doomed glare she sported as soon as her face had left Fran’s field of vision.

They slapped the horses to return home, and started moving through the brambles as quietly as possible.

Ten minutes later they were attacked.


	9. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments.

  
“Ranged ready!” Eris shouted as the salamanders fell upon them, and Mint immediately raised his hand, conjuring a rain of ice shards. Fran’s eyes widened and she nearly fumbled while blessing the three of them and shielding the two others in melee range up ahead, and Briam set his strongest spells out on the enemy, exploding most of those approaching that hadn’t been pierced by the ice raining around them.

Eris leaped over the attackers, distracting them into turning around and facing him with his taunts and hit the biggest of the beasts upside the head with the pummel of his sword. “Where ye think ye’re looking at, the party’s right ‘ere!” he roared, turning to the left and knocking another out with his shield, before beheading it, unmindful of the claws and teeth trying to rip him apart.

Meanwhile, Asa made use of her small stature, sidling crouched through the snake-like lower bodies of the reddish-orange fire-breathing, spear-carrying humanoid monsters and wedging her daggers under the beasts’ scales, gutting them from below with ruthless efficiency.

However, despite their best efforts the enemy kept coming by the scores. Soon Mint and Briam were fighting with their swords as much as their spells, Eris’ armor had been on fire for so long only the metal and thickest oiled leather gear was holding on with blood fizzling over it (mostly his), and Asa was only visible as a nightmarish red blur, for she was literally drenched in blood and guts (mostly enemy’s).

Twice had Mint had to grab Fran and teleport her to safety, as Eris moved the fray so not to slip on the pile of corpses or to avoid incinerated trees from falling over him, the enemy’s fire clearing the dried and dead vegetation only to be put out by the same enemy’s blood a few minutes later.

“Eris you need to spread them out! They’re too many and I’m losing line of sight with Asa!” Fran called out, running as a new wave of attackers obscured her view, and the nearest salamander screeched in their dry, crackled speech, turning its body away and throwing itself on the ground, quickly crawling under the others, straight to where Asa was fighting.

“Taunt them into mobbing you so I can burn them all together before we run out of heals,” Mint breathed while opening his way forwards with magic and sword, and sent the whisper straight to Eris’ ears, repeating the tiny spell until Eris looked straight at him, nodding once.

“Be safe,” Eris mouthed. Mint pulled a mana potion off his sleeve, drank it and took a deep breath, molding the spell as Eris threw his weapon and shield away and roared unnaturally loud, stomping his right foot on the ground, which trembled.

All the enemies stopped where they stood, enthralled, and then attacked him as one. Mint counted to three and dived in the fray heedless of the healers’ cries, pulling on a frost shield to cover his body as he wiggled through the mountain of reptilian attackers, pushing and shoving until he could feel a small gloved hand in his.

“I found Asa, grab onto me,” he whispered to Eris, and let the magic around him flicker so he could pull her close. It was a near thing, and he thought he would rip her shoulder off its socket for a moment, but then Eris barreled into her other side and they ended up mashed together, the two men grabbing for each other, the girl squashed between them as Mint let all his mana out in one giant burst of frostfire that reduced their enemies to frozen ash statues, and lost consciousness.

* * *

  

_The White crone was again pulling Asa’s womb out of her body, but as she raised it and opened her fist, it burst into a flutter of copper-colored butterflies. Asa felt a violent shiver run through her body, and suddenly everyone around her fell apart into more, multicolored butterflies, that began flying around the bonfire, following the hot air current blowing up from it into the skies…_

“Lads! Lads, can you hear me? Fran help me dig them out!” Briam called out, pushing through the frozen ash.

_“Ain’t it ironic fer it to be butterflies?” a hushed voice asked, and Asa looked at her sister, standing on her left side._

_“They drink blood tho, so maybe it ain’t. Mum calls it mud-puddling.”_

“Briam? I think I hear something!” Fran called out from above, and Briam pushed his ear into the ash.

“It’s Eris!” he said, and they started digging frantically where the noise came from, until they saw the blond hair at the back of Eris’ head, his helmet lost during the fight.

“Briam! Briam heal me with all ye got!” Eris shouted, his voice muffled by the debris. Briam closed his eyes and breathed hard, pulling his glowing hand back as he cast under his breath, but Fran stopped him.

“Are you mad? you’ll blow them up!” she cried out.

Do it they’re not breathin’!” Eris yelled, and Briam shoved Fran away, pushing all his mana into a healing winds spell.

_“Methinks it’s ironic ye’re with me in a regular dream, wha’ happened, yer man wear you out yet?” Asa commented, raising an eyebrow, and Jai sputtered, going beet-red in the face._

_“How about ye, didja drown in yer enemies’ blood yet?” she retorted, and Asa laughed._

Eris’ mixed armor caught on holy fire, and the pressure of the dilating plate helped dislodge the ash enough for him to raise his head and pull in a lungful of air as the spell burst forth from his body in the form of a mighty gale, which freed them from the mountain of cindered bodies and knocked the healers away in the process.

He fell to his knees still holding Asa and Mint in his arms, and laid them out on the scorched ground, wiping some of the blood and guts from Asa’s face and turning her on her side as she started coughing, before he turned on the unconscious mage.

“Wake up ye arsehole,” he grunted, slapping his face, and wiped some of the soot off his nose and mouth, feeling for his heartbeat and finding the strap that held Mint’s hat strangling him, the hat having fallen back and the strap having been twisted as he moved through the crowding enemies. Eris cursed and looked to where Briam and Fran were still wearily untangling themselves from the brambles where they fell before moving Mint to rip the twisted strap off, and pushed the mage’s head back, heaving in a huge breath and blowing it into his mouth.

Asa shook her head and stumbled to her knees, beginning to push down rhythmically on Mint’s chest. “It helps, keep goin’,” she muttered at Eris’ questioning look, and he nodded, blowing another breath into the mage’s lungs.

Mint jerked awake at the same time the healers reached them, coughing.

“Oh thank gods,” Eris breathed out in relief as he let go of his mouth, and brought their foreheads together. “Ye sodding bastard, I should’ve tossed that ridiculous thing when ye weren’t looking, I told ye to be  _safe_ ,” he muttered, and Mint’s eyes focused on his golden ones.

It wouldn’t be the first time Mint thanked the fact his pitch black irises helped him hide his emotions, for the intensity of the feeling that hit him at seeing Eris’ expression scared him so much he shoved it in the deepest pit of his mind and started coughing again, turning on his side to hide his own face and getting a companionable pat in the back from Asa.

“Lo- Lord Black help- helped Asa, we lost… we lost line of sight from her,” Fran stuttered, and Asa jumped up, turning on her with fire on her eyes.

“Ye  _tole_  ‘em where I was, that’s what happened!” she growled.

“What? Those beasts can’t even speak, how could they understand what we say?”

“They’re  _people_ , ye daft bird, o’course they understand what we say! Their speech is bad and their looks is worse but they ain’t stupid, anyone who knows anything knows that!”

Fran froze for a moment, and then her eyes widened as it sank in, and she finally noticed that the blood and guts covering Asa from head to toe were red, as red as her own. Her entire body trembled as she looked around them, at the mangled or incinerated remains of a hundred or so attackers spread among the burning stumps of dead trees and smoking embers, the destruction opening line of sight to a squalid farming field, and she realized some of them weren’t male and some others were obviously too small to fight.

She looked at Asa again, shaking her head in denial. “If… if these are people, why aren’t we trying to negotiate with them? Why don’t we ask them to return the children? Why  _this_?”

“Cause Kin and ordinary folk alike ‘ave been takin’ and usin’ their babes as novelty items for long enough they’ll never trust a person with two legs to come near ‘em alive ever again,” Asa told her in a cold tone. “Ask yer Kin if ye don’t believe the likes of me,  _milady_.”

She watched speechless as Asa turned her back on her.

Eris pulled a map off his pouch. “If we move fast we might reach the gorge’s westward ridge before nightfall, it’s further away from where we need to go but we ain’t got a choice now,” he said as he checked it. “Come on then,” he called out, and they moved after him, Mint picking up his discarded hat and quickly stuffing it into his pouch before following.

* * *

 

Atizz huddled behind a bulky Red as he saw Raziel pass through the main hall after lunch, and Uxseck noticed it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him, noticing the White heir’s deep scowl and ragged appearance, and Atizz fidgeted.

“Milord is indisposed,” Atizz’s cousin Zyaler explained, giving Atizz a warning look.

“Indisposed? He must be done to a cow’s thumb, letting Eris go on a quest without him,” Knucker said with a chuckle. “Maybe now you’ll get your chance at him, Ux,” he insinuated with a wink, and she smirked. “Maybe,” she said, fanning herself with her hand, and the two Whites giggled dutifully with them after exchanging a glance.

A couple of hours later Knucker happened to run into Raziel in an empty corridor, and he accosted him. “Milord White,” he greeted with a mocking tone.

“Get out of my way, Black,” Raziel growled in contempt, and moved to the side, only to be blocked again.

“Why so miffed, Raz?” Knucker asked with a smirk, looking straight into his eyes. “Lose something? I hear Pinkie finally found a tank who’d take her with as a healer, who was it again?” he said, and looked up, tapping his chin with a finger. “Oh yes, it was our friend Eris, wasn’t it?” he continued, stepping in front of Raziel again as he moved. “What could possibly indispose you so much that he’d need to take _that_  in your stead, I wonder?”

“ _Move_ ,” Raz growled.

“I gather you could use this opportunity to relearn how to walk the straight path, you know. After all, it’s not as if you can  _own_  the golden boy, is it?” Knucker muttered within a smug smile. “Pleasure to see you feel better, milord,” he called out with a bow, and finally let Raz pass.

Raz stomped away, seething.

He kicked the door shut behind him after reaching his room, and put his hands over his face as the memories washed over him.

_He had run to Eris as soon as that duffer Atizz had reported what had happened, praying he would take Raz’s role in the botched plot as just an honest, albeit stupid, attempt at helping the stupid Halfling girl._

_He had knocked quietly and waited in the cold dark open hallway, until the fear coiling on his guts made him try the door handle. The door was unlocked. He took a deep breath and went in, to find Eris in his smallclothes, simple raw linen shirt, braies and leather slippers, sitting on his chair at the other end of the room with arms crossed over his chest and left ankle resting on his right knee, the fireplace unlit, as he preferred._

_Raz toed off his soaked turnshoes and stepped forward._

_“Why?” Eris asked in a patient tone._

_Raz let his gaze sweep over him, before looking away. “Franae asked me. I thought to help her.”_

_“You are not that stupid, milord. Or that generous,” Eris retorted, his voice going cold. “And as I realize now, not that honest, either.” He rose and moved towards Raz. “Why?” he asked, putting a hand on Raz’s cheek._

_Raz’s face contorted in pain. “He’s stealing you from me,” he groaned thickly, and rubbed his cheek against Eris’ warm hand._

_“Mint is my **friend**. No one is stealing me from you but yourself,” Eris said, his voice warmer but also sadder._

_Raz whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut. “Will you have me beg for you to reconsider?” he asked, swallowed hard, and fell to his knees._

_“Raziel, stop-“_

_Raz grabbed the hem of Eris’ shirt with a hand, resting his forehead against his abdomen. “Please,” he begged in a small, pained voice. “Please come with me. Don’t leave me bereft, Eris, **please**.”_

_“And be what, your advisor? Your warrior? Your friend? Your bedwarmer, waiting for you to come back from your queen’s quarters at night and leaving in secret at dawn? Watching your life from behind you instead of at your side?” Eris asked, and raised Raz’s chin to look at his face. “I’ve always been private about us, but I won’t be your illicit lover, Raz. My father and Master Drugum raised me an honest man.”_

_Raz’s face contorted again, this time in anger along with the pain, and he stood. “Your father is a hypocrite who won’t share his rooms with his lover, Erisdar of the Red, and you know it.”_

_“If it weren’t for the Whites insisting in snooping and judging everyone else’s behavior based on their own stupid rules my father wouldn’t have to keep those unused rooms and you know it,” Eris spat at him, his eyes glowing with righteous fury. “My father never married a woman nor denied being with Master whenever asked. His father knew Drugum of the Forsaken as his consort, as my uncle knows him, along with pretty much the entirety of Emberholm with the exception of the few who insist on this open secret, so do not **dare**  -”_

_Raz interrupted him with a harsh kiss, latching on Eris’ lower lip with his teeth when he pushed him, and licking the blood on his own lips after taking a punch._

_“Don’t destroy our friendship, Raz,” Eris warned, and Raz laughed bitterly._

_“Friendship? Do you honestly think I can be just your **friend**?” He said, swiped Eris on his back and straddled him, hands on his throat. “Don’t destroy me like this,” he growled as he squeezed, Eris lying motionless on the ground with a betrayed look on his face, staring as he choked him._

_His hands faltered and tears welled in his eyes. “I need you,” he said, moving them from Eris’ throat to the sides of his face as he took huge, heaving breaths. “I need the whole of you, Eris; all I can give you is my heart, my love, but please, **please** ,” he begged crying, getting off Eris’ chest to sit on his haunches by his side, “can’t it be  **enough**?”_

_Eris sat up with a hand on his throat, coughing for a long while, before looking warily at him._

_“I would rather have just friends who respect me wholly than a lover who won’t, Lord White,” he said, standing up and moving to open the door. “Good night.”_

Those had been their last words.

Raz screamed in desperate rage as he moved through his room, destroying everything he came across, not stopping until his hands were bleeding.

And then he cried some more.

* * *

  

They reached the westward ridge with the twilight and by a stroke of luck – namely Briam tripping and knocking a couple of rocks that were blocking the entrance as he fell – found a warm cave to spend the night in.

The lads built a fire while Fran complained about the strange smell pervading the air and then pulled out some food and water out of her pouch, offering it to Asa, who made a face at the dry meat.

“No offense but I likes me food fresh if I can get it,” she said, pulling a huge glow worm out of her pouch and plopping it on top of her own head. “Let’s catch us some, Grub,” she said, moving deeper into the cave.

She came back an hour later, cleaned up and carrying a large dead scorpion. “ ‘Scuse us guv if I make use of yer fire, but there’s a beast roaring in me stomach,” she said, pulling some embers and lying the carcass over it. “Would any of ye like some, it goes down a treat with biscuits,” she offered, and shrugged when they refused politely, dropping the glow worm back into her pouch.

“Oh, also there’s some kind of hot water lake down to the right on one of the rooms, that’s where the smell is coming from,” she commented, and the others nearly jumped in interest, Fran literally running out for the opportunity to wash first as soon as she got a light globe out of Mint and the directions out of Asa.

“Must be the volcano up north then,” Mint said. “It would be interesting to explore the cave tomorrow for a bit, might be we can go north undetected if it’s connected to others, that’s common near volcanoes as well.”

After Fran came back the three men went down to the lake, and Mint left the others to follow a draft leading north, intent on trying out his idea of moving forwards inside the mountain ridge, without encountering the enemy again for as long as they could at least until they reached the bigger salamander settlements.

He also felt the need to spend some time alone with his own thoughts, so he enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of solitude until he had explored enough to be reasonably sure his earlier hunch was correct, and then came back expecting a solitary bath.

He must have taken less time than he thought, though, for he reached the lake to see Eris standing sideways in the lake, the water up to his knees, only a dark silhouette against the light globe floating on his other side, hissing as Briam pulled something out of his shoulder.

Mint shoved the shiver that ran through his body in the same deep pit of his mind he had used earlier and breathed, regaining steely control of himself and moving towards his friends.

“Ow Briam stop pokin’ so much, mate, that stings!” Eris complained, and Briam blew him a raspberry. Eris yelped again, and Mint blew him one too, winking at Briam after he took off his robe, keeping his braies on to wash.

“Unbelievable, one can’t get any respect nowadays,” Eris muttered half-heartedly.

“Oi Mint can you turn ‘im into something that’ll make less noise, his whining is worse than this farting lake,” Briam taunted, and pushed Eris to fall face-first into the water.

“Don’t ye dare ye dirty magus!” Eris yelled after he surfaced, and grimaced. “Good skies this water even  _tastes_  like farts,” he complained.

Many hours later, Fran took advantage of Briam moving to a farther corner to take a piss, snapped the invisibility brooch around her cloak and left the cave alone.


	10. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments!

Eris woke up with a start, only to have his mouth covered, feeling the pointy end of a dagger in his back.

“Get up very slowly and follow me without a noise,” Asa whispered faintly against his ear, and he nodded. She moved away in complete silence, and he followed.

From a corner closer to the fire, Mint opened his eyes and quietly cast an invisibility glamour on himself.  

She led the way to the outside of the cave, careful not to disturb the fallen branches they had used to cover the entrance.

“Our little pink lady left us,” she whispered quietly in the dark. “Methinks she decided to be the better person and try to, as she said, ‘negotiate’ wi’ the salamanders, dragons eat her dimwitted little soul.”

Mint could feel the heat rising in Eris’ blood from where he stood watching unseen, by the sepulchral silence with which his friend met that statement.

“We can’t all go after her, even with the brooches,” Eris responded, after a minute or two. “Bloody hell.”

Mint blew a frosty breath at Eris’ back to announce his presence, moving forward. “But one of us can,” he said.

“No.”

“Yes. I’m not a fantastic tracker but I can go unseen, and throw her through a portal to the University when I get my hands on her,” Mint offered.

“Tis a task fer those who hunt people. Besides,” Asa said, “if I go ye can still find a way up north through the caves, ye’ll need magic for that, and if we can find those children alive it’ll be better to move ‘em without being seen, unless the plan is to kill ev’ry living thing in this gorge, including them. I can find yon blitherin’ pink idiot and meet ye along the way, I been studying the maps and there’s a couple cave entries might join yer way. Also,” her voice had a final tone to it, “if needs be I’ll do what needs doin’ and none o’ ye would. No offense, milords,” she finished, looking straight at Eris.

“No. I’ll go, tis my responsibility,” Eris breathed, and Asa made a gesture to Mint, who nodded and slapped him upside the head.

“Somebody got to hold good ole Briam down when he goes postal, else 'e’ll get us all killed. ‘nother reason for the mage to stay, too, it’s a feat for strength and magic.”

Mint put a hand on Eris’ shoulder. “I take it you’re ready to go then?” he asked Asa, who saluted and left.

They stood for a long while quiet in the dark, and then Mint pulled him into a hug. “Trust us,” he whispered into Eris’ ear.

“They’ll die,” Eris replied in a dead tone, his body stiff.

“I can assure you at least Asa won’t,” Mint said, and pushed Eris’ head down on his shoulder when he felt the tears drop on his linen undershirt. Eris closed his eyes and relaxed into the hug. “Thank ye for this. I won’t tell anyone.” he muttered against Mint’s neck.

Mint beat his emotions into submission with a figurative (albeit effective) butter-churn while Eris fought to put himself under control again. He very carefully avoided his own discomfort with the whole notion of having answered his friend’s distress with such a physical display of affection and nodded in silence, and they went back in the cave to tell Briam the bad news.

* * *

 

Lady Venia grimaced while entering the smithy, the noise and the ever-present smoke irritating her senses. A stout Red boy in overalls and a leather apron raised his eyebrows and ran back to the forge.

“Tell her to come back ‘ere, then, it’s monkeys out there,” Taenth’s voice boomed, followed by a thunk, a hiss and quiet muttering.

Venia crossed her arms and waited for the Red Triumvir to stoop under the doorway to meet her with a smug smirk on her face, which got smugger when he offered a mug of tea. “Why thank you, milord, tis mighty cold this morning,” she said, and smiled at Drugum, who leaned in the doorway to the forge, wiping his hands. “Very good tea, who made it, you or the seven foot gorilla?”

“I am _right here_ , you know!” Taenth exclaimed, his hands resting on his hips.

“Did you make the tea then?” Venia asked, giving him a side look. “Thought so,” she muttered as he scowled, blushing like a little girl.

“If ye came for him please don’t dawdle on account of me, I got work to do,” Drugum said, and made to leave.

“Actually, I would like the both of you to join me, if you would,” Venia interrupted, and Drugum stretched to his full six foot four with a questioning glance at the Red Triumvir, before nodding and turning around. “Watch the forge, boy, I’ll be back in a while,” he shouted before leading the two city leaders to his cottage.

Venia waved a hand, magicking the snow and grit off their shoes before snapping her fingers to light the fire, and took her cloak off.

“I take it this isn’t University business,” Taenth said, picking up Venia’s cloak and hanging it next to the door before moving to sit across her at the table, while Drugum put the kettle on the fire.

“I know you’re aware of Kemoth’s strange… disposition, having visited my Court these past few months,” she said, and both men nodded, Drugum taking his seat at the table. “Good. There is talk among my kin that he has been calling firstborns to the Court, to replace much older and more capable members of the clan.”

“He sent two of his sons to the Red Court as envoys to replace old Cirwing,” Taenth commented. “Palar would hear my worries, but not act on them, I’m afraid.”

“Vita sent me word that Marun will be replaced at Tessith’s Court as well,” Venia said.

“The old dog is starting to bare his teeth then,” Drugum commented, and got up to get the tea ready. The two thirds of the Triumvirate present waited for him to speak again, which he did after serving them and adding some spirits to his own mug. “Is it a kill or watch job you want from us?”

“Watch, for starters, and that it be done in utmost secrecy. Kemoth will have my head if he learns I mistrust his rule, Triumvir or not,” Venia said gravely, and Taenth nodded.

“Better not be Forsaken then, what with dimwit parading me around the Red Court and destroying my assassin career,” Drugum grumbled, and Taenth gave him an affronted look, to which he responded with a deadpan.

Venia smirked. “Well, his full title _is_ Taenth the _Protective_.”

Taenth sat back and crossed his arms across his massive chest with a shit-eating grin, and Drugum snorted, rubbing a hand through his own hair.

“How soon do you want this to be set up? I’ll have to take a leave.”

“I would like it done around Drake’s Night, tis easier to move servants around if needed,” Venia said, and Taenth counted on his fingers, deep in thought.

Drugum and Venia watched him quietly for a while, as he muttered to himself, writing with his finger on the tabletop with one hand, and counting on the other.

After a few minutes, he nodded. “Tis best if we leave at the new moon; that’ll be in ten days, enough time for my visit to Kemoth’s Court to become old news, but still in good time to get everything ready. And yes, I am going with, it’ll be your alibi,” he explained, putting his hand over Drugum’s. “The Forsaken live in Red lands and it’s about time I pay Maten a visit, what with Asa coming to Emberholm and taking service with my son,” he said, giving him a pointed look. “Since I don’t know where they are at this time of the year, Asa is on a quest and you’re the unofficial Forsaken representative in the city, you will take leave to take me there.”

“Not the most elegant excuse, but Volos will buy it, for appearances sake, at least. For those aware of your little secret it will look reasonable enough,” Venia said, and nodded. “Ten days it is, then.”

* * *

 

“You can’t hold me forever,” Briam growled, fighting against Mint’s spell from the makeshift litter.

“We don’t need to hold you forever, only until you stop behaving like a lovesick fool and begin to see reason,” Mint said quietly.

They had been fighting the healer for two hours already, until Eris had lost his patience and knocked him out, giving them enough time to make the contraption, which they dragged along as they moved inside the mountain range, Mint monitoring the timing of his spells to keep Briam from moving.

“If she dies!”

Eris dropped the litter on the ground, turned around and crouched close to Briam’s face. “Dost ye think I don’t fear that she’ll die, Briam? Do ye think I’m shunning my responsibility?” he asked seriously, and Briam opened his mouth to retort, before looking angrily away.

“Fran left us without a word. I dunno what her plan is, but she didn’t trust us to share it with. Now she’s alone, but unseen amongst the enemy, an enemy that attacked us by the droves just yesterday. No one will send so many of their own to attack an enemy if they don’t have even greater numbers to defend themselves or are completely desperate, Briam. If we all left after her, we would all die, including Fran.”

“Asa will let her die,” Briam moped, still.

“Oh skies will ye listen to yerself,” Eris said, wiping his face with a hand, “Asa was the one who sodding told me Fran was gone, she could’ve just turned on her side and slept instead, ye utter pillock!” he stood and turned, walking away while pulling at his hair.

Mint conjured a light orb and sent it after him, before kicking Briam’s foot. “You know what, I’m letting you move,” he said with a scowl. “You want to run out this cave after Franae like a complete blighter? Fine, go ahead. All you’ll be doing is hastening her death, and yours with it. Asa is the _only_ chance Franae has to stay alive out there, let alone join us again, because Asa is the _only_ one of us who can track, move undetected and defend someone all at the same time and with the same skill. I can move undetected and can defend, but I can’t track. Eris can track and defend, but he can’t move undetected, not in this hellish topography. Can you do those three things at once and well enough to swim through scores of fire-breathing enemies who know what you can do, who have the advantage of the terrain, and who have proven themselves to not fear us, Briam?” he growled the last, breaking the spell that held his friend with one hand, and then pulling his hat off his pouch, angrily beating the dust off it against his thigh, putting it on and going after Eris, gritting his teeth to hold himself from simply kicking Briam’s ass all the way up to the volcano up north.

He made his way through the cave room and climbed up at the opposite exit, turning left to follow after the light, and passed Eris without seeing him, only to have his hat snatched from his head. “What the hell is this doing here?” Eris snarled, livid.

“Give me my hat, Eris,” Mint growled back, turning on his heel.

“This damned thing nearly killed you, you bloody-minded prat!” Eris roared, and Mint huffed.

“I took the strap off, it won’t happen again. Now give me my bloody hat back!” he growled through his teeth, grabbing at it, and Eris moved it out of his reach, glowering at him. “Oh, you’re going to be difficult then?” Mint asked, and snapped his fingers.

He grabbed the hat from the floor and put it on with flair at the same time Briam reached them. “Mind the toad, tis Eris,” Mint said, turned around and moved on, muttering about bloody stupid friends fretting over nothing, bloody stupid friends having kittens over things they could do nothing about and bloody stupid friends in general, for good measure.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Fran was confidently making her way to a road that skirted the ridge they had found shelter on the last night, unaware that Asa was already hot on her trail.

Fran knew they had passed a watchtower – or at least a poor rickety wood excuse for one – on their way to the cave, from where most probably had the enemy seen them approach from afar and given out the alarm that ended up in the carnage they had brought upon the salamanders the day before, and where was a watchtower there had to be a settlement of some sort, and reason determined it would be near the roads. So she trudged on diligently to the road, determined to bring all this tomfoolery to an end with some good old common sense and dialogue between civilized peoples. Surely the salamanders wouldn’t kill one lone human seeking parley.

She came to find the road near an old ruin, and sure enough, some huts could be seen on the other side, and she made her way there eager to reveal herself, but the huts were empty, and recently, she reckoned. Some clay pots and pans had been left behind, as if the people – for, as Asa had so bluntly stated, they were – had suddenly raised camp and fled.

She was reassured of the rightness of her decision, and trudged on, finding another road leading east, which she took after stopping for a quick meal inside one of the huts.

When she left, it was under heavy snow that turned to ashy sludgy rain as soon as it fell into the gorge, because of the heat from the active volcano at the northern end of it, which regularly spewed up a deluge of cinders.  

Twenty minutes later, Asa reached the road and started silently cussing the sky blue, for the rain had washed all the tracks away. She flipped a coin and, after checking it, nodded and moved north.

Fran moved through the road until it ended in an intersection, and, pulling a compass out of her pouch, she decided to move north, but a few minutes later the road forked again.

“Eenty, teenty, ithery, bithery,” she sang, and decided on the road to the right.

Fifteen minutes later, Asa stopped at the same site, and pulled on her hair with both hands with an exasperated huff, before flipping the coin again, and going left.

Ten minutes later, Asa came back and stomped her way back the other way, taking the same road Fran had.

It took her half an hour more to reach the outskirts of another encampment, this one consisting of one large thatch-roofed hut with no walls and nine small wooden huts, those less precarious than the ones Asa had seen before, with a palisade built from dry branches. She scouted around it, seeing a couple of large and obviously armed male sentries posted on each of the two entrances, a small, precarious well in the middle of the encampment, and some crusty-looking females cooking something over a campfire under the large roof.  No sign of Fran, though.

Asa took the road back down to a ruined guarding post, and walked around it until she found a wooden cellar door, which she opened as quietly as she could, and slipped into it.

There was a light at the end of the cellar. Asa moved silently towards it, dagger in hand.

Fran had hanged her sodden cloak in the corner, and was humming while making tea over a tiny fire, when the sudden sound of a throat being loudly cleared made her jump, squealing in fear as she turned around.

“Asa? You frightened me!” Fran said, putting a hand over her fluttering heart.

“Yep. That was for everyone else ye left worryin’ their arses off. This, on the other hand, is for makin’ me chase yer dimwitted Ladyship all over the place,” Asa said coolly, and hit Fran with a right uppercut that raised her a couple of inches off the floor, before throwing her backwards, unconscious.

* * *

 

“I’mma destroy that blithering hat if it’s the last thing I do,” Eris muttered under his breath, ten feet behind Mint, who was leading them through the maze of caves.

“He took the strap off, tis fine. He even got a staff out to help climbing, just leave him alone,” Briam said equally quietly at his side.

Eris huffed, glaring at the mage’s offending apparel. “If ye need to hurt me to keep him alive ye do it.” Briam started at his side, and he silenced him with a glare. “Do it no matter what.”

They were now going through what Mint guessed must be an underground pass going under one of the roads that crossed the gorge, towards the inner mountain ridge.

Mint was still mad at Eris. How dare he try to snatch his hat away? It was the first personal accessory that he had ever wanted, let alone chosen. It set his personality apart from the other mages; it showed him as an individual, unique in himself. Not that the bloody oaf could understand that, traipsing around like the very sun incarnate, all golden tresses and eyes screaming what a special snowflake he was to the whole world.

He made it a point not to look back at said golden tresses and eyes as he thought that. Hadn’t he asked Eris to trust him, damn it? Fine, he had been stupid to strap the damn hat under his chin before the battle, but it wasn’t as if he knew he’d have to squeeze through a mass of bodies, he was a mage, not clairvoyant.

That memory reminded him of the chain of events that had led them to this, and he shook his head at Fran’s recklessness and Briam’s despair over her. It wasn’t like he couldn’t be amused at Briam’s insistence in holding a torch for Fran when the girl wouldn’t give him the time of day, but to reach the point of jeopardizing their safety for it was ridiculous.

Mint had never liked sugary love stories, and had groaned his way through the various examples of wars and turmoil caused by those throughout history in his lessons back home, thinking it the height of stupidity for people to lose their wits over feelings, and he was cheered on by his preceptors, who like all Blacks supported the idea that to wield magic one had to develop an analytical mind and steely control over their own urges. Severe lifestyle and behavior were the way he was taught to achieve those, as his father believed superior minds needed not coddle their egos with vanity.

Away from their influence Mint had learned that indulging himself with a few, subdued shows of personality like his hat and the few, cheap bits and bobs he had amassed in the months at the University gave him a comforting feeling that actually helped him keep himself together.

That control was something he would not give away to save his life, he would rather incinerate himself than become a blushing mess or, worse, be caught losing control of his own manhood like he had been warned happened to those who let their hormones get over their heads. The very idea of going through such shame terrified him so much he had schooled himself to as so much as feel his blood suggest going where it shouldn’t, instinctively repress it. Even his father had favorably commented on his restrained pose as he entered adolescence – it was common, though shameful, that Black boys got erections while learning the more powerful spells that became possible with the boost to power brought on by puberty. And for all their distant relationship Mint held his father’s meager compliments as precious.

He stopped at the end of a long climb to reach the mouth of the other side of the passage they were going through and turned around to watch his friends’ progress towards him from below, conjuring a fresh light globe. He pretended not to see Eris had stopped, looking up at him with an awestruck face, and lightly pushed it to float their way before moving on forward.

Bloody golden duffer, looking like he hadn’t seen Mint do that a million times before.


	11. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is the part where the Mature Content warnings start to make actual sense.  
> Please comment at will, criticism is the bread and butter of the writer.

 

Fran grunted as she awoke, her jaw hurting terribly. She found herself hog-tied by the fire, her face turned to the side.

Asa was making some foul-smelling concoction in a pot, her face red and congested.

"You're sick," Fran commented, and Asa gave her a furious look.

"Really? Never would'a noticed if ye didn't bring it up," she growled wheezily between coughs.

"I didn't ask you to come after me," Fran said, and Asa's right eye twitched. "But, uh, I'm sorry you fell ill," she amended.

Asa gave her a long look, its effect a little spoiled by her sneezing and coughing. "Ye almost killed the whole party," she said. "If Briam had noticed ye'd gone afore me, or Eris, they'd have left after ye, ev'ryone else woulda followed, and wi' luck, lots o' luck, _one_ of us woulda survived. Thank the good lil' wyrmlings me watch was after Briam's, and that yon Lord Black helped convince Eris to let me come instead, else ye'd account for us as the dragons took ye."

Fran didn't really understand the dragon references, but she got the gist of what Asa said, and she lowered her eyes.

"I can heal you," she offered, and Asa bristled.

"Thanks but no, I rather have ye where I can see ye. Tis but a cold, I gots medicine for that."

"I can't stay tied up like this until you heal enough to take me back, I'll die!" Fran exclaimed in outrage, and Asa snickered at her.

"Ye should see yer pretty little face right now, yer Numptiness. Nah, I'll tie ye more comfy later, just done it to make sure ye thinks twice afore makin' a cake out of yerself again."

"How do you know the enemy won't find us here?" Fran asked as Asa went through a coughing fit.

"Because, milady, the salamanders went hiding underground," Asa answered with a dark look towards her, and took a long draught of the foul-smelling liquid in the pot. "There's a coupla huts nearby, but almost no one there, and too many attacked us afore to have so few remain back. 'Cept for that detail it woulda been a perfect trap, and not many woulda noticed. No fear, we'll be down there wi' the lads in time to kill 'em."

Fran gaped in horror. "We can't! They're people, you said so yourself! They have women, children, families! We can't do that, it's murder!"

"Really," Asa retorted with a deadpan.

"But… but… if they're hiding there will be innocent with them, the children, the elders, you said it yourself! It will be a massacre!"

"Yer point being?" Asa asked with an uncomprehending look in her face.

Fran flailed against her restraints in righteous fury. "How can you be facing the murder of innocent babies with a straight face, you… you murderer!" she roared.

"Cor, milady, dost ye know what the word 'assassin' means?"

"Oh, _really_ , have you actually killed a baby then, oh ye Queen of Terrors?" Fran asked mockingly.

"Accourse I did, that's how we start learnin' the trade," Asa answered. "That's why we Outcast don't charge for babbies and children, they're for our own bairns to train on, as with those of our own people that are dyin' of disease, or age, or wounds," she explained, and gave her a sideways look. "Dost ye think only bad people or men lose their lives to the likes of me? Outcasts are paid to kill _people_. _All_ sorts o' people, milady, and oft with their families, sometimes their servants too. One o' me Da and Uncle Drugum's famous jobs even included the estate's prized horses, with extra for the champion stallion's head."

Fran's face was white as parchment. "Your children _kill_ other children?" she asked in a whisper, appalled.

Asa's head bent sideways. "How else will we learn ta put ourselves on our victims' shoes, milady? Wee bairns know that other children are like 'em and feel the same they do better than with grown people. So when they kill other babbies such as themselves they know exactly how much it hurts to die, learn that dyin' can happen to them too. And by killin' those who they love that are sufferin', they learn that death is a part of life, that it can be a release, and to respect those we kill.

We start learnin' to deal wi' death as soon as we start walkin', and we start butcherin' beasts for food as soon as we're strong enough to hold a dagger. Me first kill of a person was when I was five years old. We had no babbies or children then; if there ain't no bairns to train we don't keep any from our jobs, it ain't proper. So I did it to me nan, for she was dyin' from a canker in her thrupney bits, gave her gyp somethin' fierce, that bugger did, but she never cried out in front of us, Jai and me, for she wanted us to give 'er to the dragons as proud as she ever been.

The day we did it, the whole clan made a huge feast ta send her off. We partied, and ate, and Nan told us kids the story of how the dragons left the land when the Kin destroyed their tree, choosin' to leave us livin' for pity of the many dead and to take their souls to the afterlife, never to return."

Asa had a coughing fit, and after it passed hugged her knees with a faraway expression in her eyes.

"After that, she hugged everyone goodbye, lied down and told us that yes, it would hurt, but it would hurt more if we cried and didn't see where we were stabbin' her, so we weren't to faff around, or she'd suffer. And then everyone went quiet, watchin' us; her too, 'cause Forsaken die wi' their eyes wide open, to better see the dragons, ye know," she chuckled softly, and coughed again.

"Jai and me stood there, one to each side o' her, with the daggers in our hands, lookin' at her, at each other, and I remember Jai's eyes fillin' up wi' tears, and Nan pulled our braids and told us not to make cakes of ourselves with an angry face, an' then we were more afraid to embarrass her than to kill her, and shoved our daggers on her throat like we were taught to, and leaned down on them to push 'em all the way in. An' then Jai cried her head off, always with the waterworks open, that one. I held me nan's head on me arms till she was cold afore I joined in the cryin', though.

I killed me first babbie a coupla moons after, this bloke paid to get rid of his mistress and the newborn, an' Da brought it. I asked Jai ta have the kill, an' she let me – twas mostly her pride made her fight me for the Unburdenin', she was always the softer one.

I took the wee one in me arms and broke his neck like I seen me uncle do in a duel with one of the Whispers once. He didn't feel a thing, wyrmlings bless his little soul. Tis not often we can send 'em off this painless."

"You are monsters," Fran muttered in fear, struggling against her bonds.

Asa snorted, and shook her head. "Ye White Kin always say that, even the ones that do the Unburdenin' on us," she said. "But that don't stop ye from hirin' us to do yer dirty biddin', does it? Who is the real monster, milady, the one that kills or the one that orders the killin'?"

"You could refuse –"

"What mercy can the crop expect but a sharp scythe, tho? If it ain't us, someone else will do it, and wi' less care, besides." Asa stood. "Now, I'mma get ye off yer bonds, and Ottis will cuff yer leg to mine with his silk. If ye tries to kill'im, I kill ye. If ye tries to kill me, I kill ye. If ye tries to escape, ye better be ready to carry me, for ye won't get the pollen outta me bag, it only responds to me. And without the pollen ye won't get rid of the silk. Ye be a good girl, tho, and as soon as I get rid o' this cold we can go back to the lads. Understood?"

Fran looked at Asa's gimlet eyes, and nodded timidly.

* * *

"Wow."

"Yes."

"Cor blimey!"

"Er, Mint? I suppose you have a floating spell?"

"Only benefits the caster, I'm afraid."

"Oh. Uh, you lads think tis deep enough for us to survive the fall?"

"Only one way to find out," Eris said, and jumped headfirst off the cliff.

"Eris, **_you idiot_**!" Mint and Briam screamed together and jumped after him, Mint hastily turning Eris into a frog with one hand and holding his hat with the other. "Shoot me!" he screamed as he encased himself in ice.

Briam let out his strongest healing spells on him after shielding himself, and they crashed against the water below, the impact turning Eris back into his human form, unharmed, and freeing Mint from his ice block.

They swam blindly, reaching the edge of the underground lake by chance, Briam and Mint getting out on their hands and knees, shaking as they helped – more like dragged, due to his ridiculously heavy armor – Eris out of the water in the dark.

"What were you _thinking_ , you bloody stupid plonker?" Mint yelled, beating on Eris with his hat as his friend laughed while trying to protect his ass, currently in the process of gaining a few bruises from Briam's angry kicks.

"Oh, come on, it looked deep enough from up there, I decided to give ye a show of trust!" Eris said, giggling, and Briam kicked him in the kidneys. "Ow!"

"You gormless muppet!" Briam said, while Mint cast them a fresh light orb. "As if you could see anything from the top of the damn waterfall!" he snorted angrily. "Now get your worthless arse up an' make a fire, I know you've got some coals on your pouch."

Eris pulled out the bag of coals, and arranged them in a circle surrounded by pebbles before standing and looking expectantly at Mint, who was currently wringing his cloak.

"What?" the mage asked. Eris pointed to the coals with an expectant look on his face.

Mint rolled his eyes and chucked a small fireball to get the fire going. "Ever heard of matches?"

"But ye're so good at it!" Eris rebuked, starting to remove his own armor after he cleared a space away from the fire and fixed his bedding there.

"Why are you setting camp, it's still early," Briam said with a frown, and Mint shook his head.

"Tis almost tea time, Briam, no sense to keep going further now. By this time, I faith, Fran's already safe with Asa, so give us a rest, we've been drudging up and down rocks all day," Mint asked, pulling off his linen undershirt and wringing it next to the fire, oblivious to Eris' stare upon him.

"Well, tis all fine and dandy here, I'll go see a man about a dog, be back in a jiffy," Eris said, and moved away. He pulled a bundle of matches out of his pouch and lit one, holding it in his left hand while grabbing a tiny oil lamp with the right, and lit it.

"Control yerself, ye bloody poof," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head and going to search for somewhere private.

Mint shook the water out of his boots, and placed them upside down to dry, "I've only ever heard of cave systems with waterfalls, tis absolutely prestantious," he said admiringly while pulling out fresh clothing out his pouch.

Briam stopped from doing the same and looked up at the top of the cliff, more than two hundred and fifty feet above them. He shivered. "I can't believe I jumped that," he said, "Remind me to kick Eris' beef-witted arse again when he comes back."

"At least down here is much warmer," Mint remarked as he dressed.

Briam finished dressing up and sat down on his freshly-laid bedding. "I wonder… why would the salamanders send so many of their own to attack us right from the start, though? I mean, they have the children, isn't it strange that they don't use them as protection?"

"Do you think there's something more that we weren't told?" Mint asked, putting the kettle over the coals to make some tea.

"If there is I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of whoever lied to the Triumvirate," Eris said as he came back. "Let's get some grub and some rest before moving on, with two people short we can't have the luxury of inattention."

* * *

The man hanging by the irons raised his head wearily as he heard the clinking sound of the keys rattling.

The door opened and a wizened, bitter-looking old man, richly clad in white and silver, entered.

"Anytime now we'll receive news of your honor having been restored, and it will all go back to its rightful track," the old man said, his icy blue eyes surveying the prisoner's face, hidden by his long white hair, matted and dirtied in his captivity.

"You still have time to back down! I swear, they'll leave your lands, no one will ever see or hear of them again, they'll leave to where no Dragonkin has ever set foot, just please, let them go. Don't let your prejudice turn you into a monster, please, _please_ have mercy!" the prisoner begged.

The old man backhanded the prisoner. "You are blinded by that _thing's_ magic. But no matter. Soon it and all its kin will be destroyed; you will regain your sanity, and Lord Tessith will receive a most valuable beast for his cabinet of curiosities. I would have had it stuffed already, but his Majesty is wont of studying the inside of such things," he said, and the prisoner started struggling against the irons chaining him to the wall.

"No! Don't you dare hurt Suzhi! Let her go! Let her go or I'll never forgive you!" the prisoner hollered, trying to reach the old man, who simply turned away and left, heedless of his desperate cries.

"Don't you dare, you monster! Fiend! Let her go! _Father_!"

* * *

Asa was coughing horribly while sleeping, and that put Franae in a dilemma.

On one side, she was convinced that Asa was a despicable monster. After all, who the hell murders babies on cold blood? So healing Asa would only let her live longer to kill more babies. And that would mean those babies' deaths would be Franae's fault.

On the other side, Asa was very ill right now; and if Franae didn't heal her, she was afraid the girl wouldn't survive in the ruins they were hiding, let alone out there in the freezing sleet. Whatever fever this was, it was eating away at her faster than anything Franae had ever seen.

And they were bound together at their ankles in a way Franae wouldn't be able to free herself alone.

And Franae was a healer; if she let Asa die her death would be Franae's fault, nonetheless.

_Asa was sidling through one of the cave chambers, her back to the walls, a few glow worms on the ceilings high above providing just enough light to make it possible to discern between dark, darker and pitch black._

_She heard childish laughter coming from ahead to the right, and saw light appearing from a small opening._

_"_ _Esallazs, get back here!" a boy's voice said, and a small White child, just a little older than a toddler, ran out into the chamber laughing and hugging a large glow worm at the same time Asa jumped behind a stalagmite._

_A brown-haired boy of around nine years old ran inside the opening. "There you are, boy," he said, and picked up the child, who hugged him, the worm squeaking between them. "Sorry," the older boy said, putting the worm on the ground and turning toward the opening. "I should've paid more attention."_

_Asa stared at the female salamander sliding towards them with a smile. "Mama!" the White boy said, leaning to her. "Thhhhank you, Jephhhh," she said, and Asa leaned forward. Salamanders were supposedly so changed from their human origins their speech had been compromised, but this woman spoke well, if with a hissing drawl._

_"_ _Come, we sssssshould get back inssssside now, tisssss dangerousssssss out," she said, taking the child to her lap._

 _"_ _Lord Lissoth will come back soon, right?" Jeph asked, and the woman tenderly moved a lock of hair back from his face. "I hope ssssssso, child, tissss not fair to let your parentssssss worried," she said quietly, and the boy made a brave, righteous face at her._

_"We won't leave until he comes back with Suzhi, I promise. It's the least we can do," he said, and they entered the passage._

_Asa slid down to a crouch, waited for a minute, and stalked the small group from a distance, very quietly._

_They moved through a maze of stone corridors. Asa knew she wouldn't be able to remember every turn after she woke up, but she trudged on anyway, paying attention to anything that stood out: the noise of a waterfall thrumming against the rock, the moist quality of the sand under her feet, the smell of moss._

_Eventually she followed them into an enormous chamber full of children, human and salamander alike, of all ages. There were also some very old and crusty salamanders in a corner, eating soup, and some adult females, most of them pregnant – the ones that weren't, or weren't showing yet, were stationed near the two entrances into the chamber, armed but easily distracted by the children running or slithering about._

_Suddenly a warning shout rang out, and Asa noticed a human girl slipping and tumbling to the ground over a salamander child, who accidentally blew a flame out from being hit on its stomach. "Owwwwww!" both children cried, the human girl with the side of her face burned._

_The little White child squirmed in his mother's lap, and she put him down. He ran over to the hurt children, said something Asa didn't hear, and blew green fire out of his mouth, healing them instantly._

Franae ran her hands through her face and hair, and blew out a breath, indecisively.

To save the girl and doom others or to let her die and most probably die along with her? She wondered what Lady Vita would've done in her place while cursing fate for dealing her such a bizarre hand.

Asa suddenly seized, and Franae moved over the girl to turn her on her side, watching in horror as she hacked up a large blood clot infested with small, hair thin white worms.

Franae realized the scorpion Asa had eaten must've been carrying lungworm eggs, and those had most probably hatched in her gut and migrated to her lungs to feed on the freshly aired blood. And that was the worst news for Asa: lungworm infection was terribly hard to heal, because the healer had to fix the lungs while killing the parasites not only in the lung but spread out in other parts of the body, and to do it safely demanded either a long, grueling time working very precisely or ridiculous amounts of mana.

And Franae had pitifully small mana reserves.

She sighed, and pulled a linen bandage out of her pouch, using it to clean Asa's face and the worms she had spat out before she threw it in the fire.

"I swear, girl, after this you will never kill another child ever again, or so help me I will torment you for the rest of your life," she muttered, and began working.


	12. 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.

"Don't forget to temper the swords exactly as I said," Drugum instructed while picking up a few packages of screws and bolts he had made with scraps from the weak iron left from old broken weapons. They would be a good gift to his brother; the carts were always in need of some repair.

"Yes, master," his apprentice said.

"And don't let the forge cool."

"Yes, master."

Drugum looked over the forge for the fifth time. "And don't forget to –"

"Sorry to interrupt but tis getting mighty late to start traveling and I am an old man who can't abide sleeping in the snow anymore," Taenth said loudly as he threw Drugum over his shoulder, the man's protests going unheeded. He winked at the apprentice, who raised both thumbs at him.

"Tis a good thing dawn isn't upon us yet and nobody can see you underminin' my authority," Drugum growled, and Taenth slapped his butt, laughing at Drugum's retaliating kick and the resulting metallic clank, accompanied by a few choice curses.

* * *

 

Mint checked his magical compass yet again, the hair on his nape rising. "We've passed this place before," he warned the others. "Pretty certain we're going round in circles again."

"More magic wards?" Eris asked, and he nodded.

"How would the salamanders get their hands on that sort of expensive stuff?" Briam asked, frowning.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Mint muttered.

They had spent the last ten days traveling underground, and this was the fifth time they got lost.

"Whatever they're hiding underground, tis obviously worth more than commoner children," Briam said. "This mission is truly getting stranger by the hour. I hope the girls are fine up above."

"Well, if we don't find a way to get out of here – or to get our hands on whatever the salamanders are hidin' and claim it hostage – we'll never meet them again, so if ye two smart fellas start cracking yer skulls, I'd be much obliged," Eris said.

"We have to be closer to whatever they're hiding, the wards are getting stronger," Briam said.

Mint and Briam started touching the walls around them, looking for the telltale feel of magic.

Fifteen minutes of thorough searching later, Briam yelled from the other side of the cave room, and Mint teleported to him.

"How long will it take for you to tear it down?" Eris asked in a frustrated voice.

"A few hours, tis a strong one," Mint said, and cocked an eyebrow at him. "If you want to be useful, be a good lad and make us some tea, we'll need the nourishment after this."

Briam elbowed him after Eris left. "You know he hates it when we're doing magic work, why taunt him like that?"

Mint side-eyed him, and smirked. "I like to see him squirm once in a while."

It was then that they saw the wall in front of them shimmer, before disappearing and leaving in its place a very ragged Fran, who promptly fell forward and was caught by an astonished Briam.

"Finally," growled Asa, passing by them dragging a small bound boy. "Thought we were goan keep lookin' forever."

"What happened to you?" Briam asked in a whisper, and Fran blinked slowly, before shaking her head. "Don't… don't let'er hurt 'im, she owes me," she mumbled, and fell asleep right there.

"I ain't goan hurt nobody, damn it!" Asa exclaimed, and dropped the child near the fire, at Eris' feet.

His eyes dropped to the boy, then he looked back at her, his mouth agape. He looked at the other two, who shrugged at him while helping Fran sit near the fire.

"Can we get an explanation for what's happening, please? I take there aren't a horde of salamanders after ye right now we should be wary of?" Eris asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stood next to Mint.

Fran and Asa looked at each other, and Asa started.

"Werrlll…"

_Franae had taken three entire days to heal Asa to a point where she was able to be mildly coherent, having previously only muttered gibberish in her delirious fever dreams._

_Or so Franae had thought. What happened was that Asa had been narrating her Sightings to Franae ever since she noticed she wasn't waking up and, thus, something was wrong. Of course, since she took days to be healed enough to wake up, she did it in a terrible mood._

_"_ _We have to get to the lads, they'll botch the whole thing!" she'd say, or "I gots to get our hands on that Jeph boy, tis that damn kid the key to this whole mess, who coulda imagined White kids being born from them snakes?"_

 _"_ _Oh no you don't, missy!" Franae had yelled when she said the last. "You don't hurt children anymore, I didn't save your worthless life for this!"_

 _"_ _Ye're a healer, tis yer job to save my life!"_

 _"_ _Nuh uh! Tis my job if you get wounded in battle, not if you're suffering from your own recklessness! You ate that stupid scorpion because you wanted to, that's how you got the lungworms that almost killed you! You owe me for this!"_

_Asa's eyes went as big as soup plates, and she sputtered for a bit, but then went quiet. An outcast's biggest terror was to be caught in debt: living in the dregs of society (even lower than the fringes), they only had their word to fall back on. The only thing worse than a debt was a debt you couldn't pay, like the one between Drugum and Taenth, or like Asa's Dad and Mum._

_She felt a frost up her spine, but squared her jaw. "What dost ye want from me?" she asked._

_"_ _As long as you owe me you won't hurt another child. Or anyone else who can't defend themselves," Franae had said, looking at her with a serious look._

 _"_ _What if I save yer life back?" Asa asked, and Franae sighed._

 _"_ _Then the debt is paid. But in battle doesn't count," she warned._

_Asa nodded, spat on her palm and extended her hand. Franae did the same, having seen the traditional gesture of agreement before, though done by men._

_"_ _Now explain what happened," Franae said. "Who is this child you speak of?"_

 _"_ _One of the salamander wymin had a White child," Asa explained, and sighed. "Me mum is a wise woman. Ye knows what a wise woman is, right?" Fran nodded._

"A salamander woman had a White child? Bugger that!" Eris said. Asa deadpanned, and Mint turned him into a toad.

"Thank ye, yer Lordship," Asa said. "So, as I were sayin' afore bein' so rudely interrupted…"

 _"_ _So when me sister Jai and I were born, Mum knew one of us would be a wise woman like her, and have the Sights. Turns out we both do, though. And that's how I saw it. Him. The White boy. And the other boy with him, the one called Jeph. We gots to get him so we can stop the boys from killin' everyone down there and who the sard is Lord Lissoth, nobody tole us there was a lord involved in this and if there is I'm chargin' double, ain't goan murder no Kin for a measly hundred gold."_

_Franae rolled her eyes and shook her head. At least Asa was on her side now, if for what Franae judged the wrong reasons._

_They had stayed one more day at the ruin, waiting for Asa to be fully healed, then they moved to a cave up north and started to wind downwards to where Asa had found the children and the salamanders hiding. It was slow moving, even if they were invisible thanks to the brooches. Twice they had to hide for an entire day to avoid being discovered._

_And then Asa had had to explain to Franae why they had to take the Jeph boy and not one of the other human children, or even the White salamander halfling himself. That had taken a couple of hours. After that, they had decided to stake out the boy close to one of the pathways the salamanders used to take their waste out of their hiding quarters, which wasn't as heavily guarded as the others. They knew sometimes the boy would help in that task, being one of the older children at about nine years old, and realistically for Franae that was their best bet at grabbing the child without Asa going on a killing spree or the two of them ending up getting killed._

_That stakeout had lasted for two more days. And after they actually got Jeph, there was the matter of finding the lads, and that's what they had been busying themselves with for the last two: Asa listening in to the salamanders talking about the three adventurers being duped by their queen – which she assumed to be the White halfling's mother, because there was no way a White Dragonkin would bed someone common for what she knew of them, and Fran agreed – who had set up all these wonderfully strong magic wards to block all access into their underground hideouts from the west side of the cavernous maze._

"So how did you find us?" Briam asked, and Fran gave him a weary look from where she was still slumped against his shoulder. "T'was a stroke of luck, we noticed the wards started very strong and were getting weaker, but there are about eight hundred yards of them as far as we know," she said, and took the mug of tea Mint gave her with a tired smile. "Thank you, I've been dreaming of tea for days now."

Eris croaked indignantly, and Mint snapped his fingers to dispel, before offering him a mug. Eris gave him a side look and grunted in thanks, and Asa poured some for herself before he could, so he shrug and went to remove their captive's gag instead.

The child had been terrified as soon as they had reunited, but now he just sat quietly and waited for Mint to finish taking the gag off. "I'll tell you all I know, just please don't kill anyone," he said, his voice creaking drily.

Mint cut the leather strips that Asa had used to bind Jeph's hands, and got him a mug of tea, while the others watched expectantly.

* * *

 

The door opened a fraction after the fifth time the servant knocked, revealing a pale haggard face.

"Milord Raziel of the White, your Lordship has a visitor," the servant said, and bowed, moving out of the way and revealing Raziel's father Tessith.

The door opened further, and Raziel disappeared into the room, being followed by the White regent.

"Your friends are worried with you, my son. Your behavior does not befit your position. However, tis not to scold you that I have come," Tessith said. "Much on the contrary. I understand why you are… indisposed, and you'll be happy to know the reason is being dealt with as we speak."

Raziel froze, his eyes widening in alarm. He spun on his heel. "What are you talking about?"

"You know I've always been against your mingling with those of lower status," Tessith said. "I have allowed it, though it pained me, for it is part of University rules, and I cannot interfere with those. However, now that your friendship with the undesirables have ended, I am free to rid myself of the impurity, at least of that that befouls our own family." He smiled. "Luck will have it that other two will be gone with her. One of them is the," he laughed, "so-called Erisdar of _the Red_."

"The girl is only aunt Vita's ward, and she'll be married off soon," Raziel said, after swallowing hard. "There is no need to-"

"I am king regent of the Whites and I say what there is need of and what there isn't," Tessith said frigidly. "Your aunt's play at charity has brought shame enough to our house when she decided to raise the Halfling herself. Now there's word the girl cannot even find a suitable husband without asking _you_ for help. The White house will not bow to serving the needs of such as her."

Raziel's glassy eyes lowered. "Of course," he said.

"Other than that happy convergence of events, I have come to inform you that your marriage will be performed a fortnight after Drake's Night, and your ascendance as regent will occur as soon as your betrothed gives you a son. Be ready to leave in ten days," Tessith said, and made to leave.

Raziel nodded quietly and opened the door for him, obligingly bowing and saying his polite goodbyes.

After he closed the door, though, he grabbed at his hair in desperation. "I know I wished that if I couldn't have you, that no one else would, but I never imagined how much it would hurt me," he whispered in defeat.

* * *

 

It was five days later when Franae's entourage stopped at Lord's Keselth's gates.

"You're sure this'll work," Asa demanded quietly, and she gave her a _look_.

"I just know tis a way to get in without a fight. And we _are_ going in without a fight, the University cannot afford gaining ill favor with King Tessith," Franae said in the same tone, before answering the guard's call.

"I am Lady Franae the Pink, ward of Lady Vita of the White, sent by her to visit Lords Keselth and Lissoth," she said haughtily.

It was a custom among the Whites to send their children to visit the houses of other nobles of their clan as soon as they reached marriageable age, in the hopes of finding an aggreable match for them. It wasn't such to send Halfling wards, but as Franae had been raised in the White Court she could pretty much count on her visit being seen as one of Lady Vita's idiosyncrasies.

She was accompanied by Asa, disguised as maid-in-waiting, the boy Jeph, and the boy's father, Jonah, both disguised as her guard. Asa had outright laughed when Franae had pulled out two elaborate white robes out of her bag, but for once Franae's daintiness had been fortuitous.

It had been Briam, of all people, who had agreed with her plan first.

 _"_ _I think it'll work," he had stated, and the other two lads had gaped at him._

 _"_ _You going to let them two go alone spy at some nutter White lord's castle?" Eris had asked, wide-eyed. Briam had scowled at him._

 _"_ _Well, if we take these last few days into consideration, they've been doing a much better job than us," he said, and, after a pause, the other two nodded in embarrassed acquiescence. "Besides, Fran's Lady Vita's ward, Lady Vita is the sister to the White ruler, they won't mess with her. Especially just for a visit, they'll go in, spend a day or two, have some tea with them and come back with enough information for us to inform the Triumvirate of. Then the matter will be settled peacefully; even if Lord Keselth doesn't want them in his lands, knowing they can produce Halflings the Triumvirate will give the salamanders shelter in Emberholm… well, I hope," he finished with a shrug._

_Eris and Mint couldn't well argue against that; after all, they had seen the salamanders in action, and Halfling children or not, they were fierce fighters. With some training they could be strong assets to the city, Mint reckoned. He also reckoned that being able to produce their own fire meant they could use it for other means – like making glass, which was the base material for most of their everyday tools. Even their knives and spoons were made of it, thick, strong glass that didn't shard when broken. That skill in itself was valuable, since glass was basically just melted sand, and sand was literally dirt-cheap._

So it was that the three of them stayed back with the task of planning what to do depending on the women's information (and, with Jeph's mother's help, how to gain support among the villagers, since apparently the mayor had been in cohorts with whoever had kidnapped Suzhi, the White-salamander Halfling boy Esallazs's twin sister, after whom Lord Lissoth, their father, had gone. And the two girls had gone to find out what had happened to him and the little girl, since three days after he had gone, word had spread that the salamanders were going to be exterminated – and that had prompted Rustshade's children to come to the gorge, in an effort to protect them.

Fifteen minutes later, the gates opened and the group passed through.

Lord Keselth waited for them in his audience hall, an old man already, the White regalia hanging from his bony frame. Franae curtsied, with Asa copying her movements from behind.

"I find your visit fortuitous, milady," he said with a smile, coming down from the dais. "Guards, seize them!"

* * *

 

Mint shook his head as he appeared at the University grounds. Long-distance teleport took a huge chunk of energy, and they had already fought at Rustshade that morning, what with the mayor not being too happy with his scheme along with Lord Keselth being unveiled. Especially after the man had yelled he didn't care about the children because the parents could always make more. That hadn't gone down well at all, really.

It helped that Lord Lissoth was well-loved by the people. Even if they did give Srasra, his salamander consort, weird looks.

Mint ran to the main building, not noticing he had been seen by Raziel, who was watching, pale-faced and teary-eyed, from a distance.

* * *

 

"Drugum!" Flora screamed, and threw herself in his arms as soon as he took off Taenth's blindfold. He laughed and hug her back, while Taenth looked in with a pout.

"Hey, don't I get a cuddle as well?" he cried out, his lower lip wobbling dangerously.

Drugum rolled his eyes and let her down. "Please hug the drama queen before he starts making a cake of himself," he muttered, but she was already being spun up by the waist, yelling at Taenth not to drop her from so high.

Maten found them having tea in his hut, his newborn son even tinier in Taenth's huge hands, as he and Flora traded gossip and Drugum watched with his head propped on his hand.

"So what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" He asked, and Drugum gave him a sharp smile.

"Business. Who do we have that can check on the Kin on Drake's Night?"

"Which house?"

"All of them."


	13. 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for non-explicit rape (though some would see it as dubcon) and QUITE explicit violence in this chapter.

Mint stormed into Lady Venia's office, pushing her secretary off him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Venia asked, calmly putting her teacup on her desk. "And Lord Black, take your hat off please."

Mint pulled his hat off his head while moving towards the table. "The University has been deceived, the mission we were given wasn't what was described."

Venia raised an eyebrow. "Explain yourself," she said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Please bring us more tea and some mana cakes," she ordered her secretary, who gave Mint a scowl, but left.

"We were lied to. The children weren't kidnapped; they went to the Gorge of their own will, to protect the salamander people. The White lord responsible for those lands attacked the salamanders and did away with one of their children, his own granddaughter."

"What?"

* * *

"Lady Vita will know of this!" Franae yelled as she was dragged away.

"Milord, what should we do with these?" the captain asked, and Keselth scowled.

"With these scum? Whatever you want. Just don't bother me about it."

Franae stared at Asa with panic in her eyes, and struggled harder as she just nodded seriously at her. "No! You can't do that!"

They were dragged to the dungeons by two men besides the captain of the guard, Franae screaming bloody murder while Asa went along quietly.

As they were pushed inside a dank dungeon cell, one of the guards said "Never had a Kin woman before, you think the carpet matches the drapes?" and Asa went berserk.

* * *

Mint nodded. "Lord Keselth's son, Lord Lissoth, consorted with the salamander queen Srasra, and they had a child, a salamander child," he explained. "When Lord Keselth found out they fought, and Lord Lissoth forsake his status as heir to live in the Gorge with his family. Lord Keselth then decided to take the child to force Lord Lissoth away, and hired us to exterminate the salamanders. However, there's a twin, a _White_  boy Lord Keselth doesn't know of. Asa saw that twin, so she and Franae caught one of the village children, who told us what was happening, and now they're – Asa and Franae, I mean – scouting Lord Keselth's castle to learn what happened to Lord Lissoth and his daughter, under pretense of Franae having been sent by Lady Vita to seek a marriage contract with him."

Venia looked startled. "A White-salamander hybrid? That is unheard of."

Mint nodded again, and thanked the secretary for the food. "Yes. The boy we saw is a perfectly normal White child, except he spits green healing fire. And, um, as Franae and Asa went to Lord Keselth's castle we, um, Briam Eris and me I mean, went to Rustshade and confronted the mayor, since he knew. The population has allied with the salamanders against Lord Keselth, if need be."

Venia rubbed her face with a weary hand. "I could say you shouldn't have decided on yourselves, but considering the size of this matter and the parties involved, I'll let it slide. However, do not take drastic measures unless absolutely necessary before I consult with Lord Volos. We don't need a diplomatic incident with Lord Tessith on top of everything," she said, reaching for a fluffy white mana cake herself.

* * *

Franae watched forgotten and frozen in terror as the girl fought the three large men unarmed with tooth, nail and no mercy whatsoever, having been pushed into a corner. Asa's skirt lay in tatters on the floor, her leather breeches exposed, the wig covering her short hair hanging askew.

The captain growled and yanked the wig the rest of the way off with one hand, grabbing her neck with the other. One of the other men grabbed her arms, and the third, blood oozing from where Asa had apparently bitten a chunk of his cheek off, held her legs.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said, pulling Asa's real hair. "No wonder this little thing was fighting like a cornered cat, it's an Outcast. Why are you with the Halfling, little Outcast? She your friend?"

Asa looked hard at Fran, and then her eyes glinted. "I was hired by Lord Raziel, son of the White regent, to protect his mistress from harm until she delivers the babe," she said, her look promising Franae a painful death if she opened her mouth.

The captain laughed. "Lord Keselth wouldn't have given her to us if she was carrying a noble child," he said mockingly, and Asa shrugged.

"Fine by me, apparently ye knows all there is to know about White kin and their secret babbies, _right_?" she argued, and he faltered, exchanging an alarmed look with the other two guards and then giving Franae a scrutinizing look, to which she responded by reflexively putting her hands on her midriff.

The captain moved towards Fran, and Asa sighed. "How about this: ye'll leave 'er alone and I'll give ye somethin' she ain't got anymore."

The guards looked back at Asa, and the captain gave her a predatory smile. "What's to say we won't take both of you?"

"Ye can't all be holdin' me and buggerin' her at the same time; ye knows ye needs three to hold me down," she answered steadily.

The captain snarled. "You Outcast scum really love your money, don't you? Hah, fine. Let's make her work for it, boys."

* * *

"Jai my beloved please, please, please wake up," Beric begged, holding her tightly as she bucked and screamed in the bed, frothing at the mouth.

"NO! ASA DON'T DO IT!" she hollered in a shrill voice, her open eyes rolled back into her head. "MOTHER! FATHER! HELP!"

Beric's mother entered their tent in a hurry, bringing a smoldering smoker full of calming herbs and a bucket with ice water and a clean towel.

"Calm down child, tis only a Sight, leave it and come back to us," she mumbled, laying the smoker in a table and soaking the towel before wringing it and laying it on Jai's forehead.

* * *

Franae watched, frozen in transfixed horror as the three men savagely raped Asa over and over, nearly beating the life out of her in the process, Asa's face and body torn and beaten black and blue in their hands, her mouth set and expression pained but determined despite the tears running down her cheeks, even as the men laughed in delight as she bled her maidenhood away.

Franae felt even more horrible because she knew she wouldn't, couldn't move a finger to help her, out of fear for herself. She was a coward, was as pitiful and useless as she had always suspected herself to be, to not be able to do anything to stop this. Eventually she curled up into a ball in a corner, too overcome with panic and self-loathing to even cry.

After an eternity of terror, the men stood sated, spit once more on Asa's body, and left. Franae looked at her, too terrified to check if she was still alive, and watched as presently Asa raised her upper body on her elbows and vomited, then hacked and spit.

"What ye sittin' on yer ass there for?" she said in a weak dry whisper, facing the floor. "Move over an' do yer job, healer."

The demand was like a sound slap to Franae's face. She shook her head and crawled to Asa's side, laying trembling hands over her, emptying her mind except for the hum of the healing spells.

She jumped, startled, when Asa's hand started unbuttoning her robe.

"Don't get flattered, 'm getting me pouch," Asa mumbled, pulling on it until she was able to untie it. She snapped her fingers and grabbed a chunk of mandrake root, which she began painstakingly chewing on. "Thass enough," she grumbled, rising up groggily on all fours, her empty left hand skidding on her own vomit before she stood facing away from Franae.

* * *

Mint stumbled as he materialized at Rustshade's shabby excuse for a town square, and tripped over Eris. "Easy there. How did it go?" Briam asked, patting his shoulder and helping him to his feet.

"Lady Venia will consult with Lord Volos on the matter. She told us not to do anything drastic until she orders us to," Mint panted, exhausted. "Any news from the girls?" he asked, and took a huge gulp of water from the bottle Eris offered him.

"No. We'll wait until midday; if not a pigeon arrives then we move," Eris said. "Come now, you need to sleep, Briam will take first watch along with some of the salamander warriors, then me, then you," he frowned at the dark patches under Mint's eyes, "if you can."

"Don't tempt me, I am tired." Mint said, already on his way to the inn.

* * *

Asa's twisted reasoning became clear in Franae's mind, and she cringed away from the girl, disgusted to no end. "You let them beat you and take your maidenhood like that just so they wouldn't find your _pouch_? What sort of horribly insane cold _thing_ are you?" she blurted, trembling.

Asa finished putting on the clean clothes she had brought in said pouch, before stopping and sighing with her head down, still facing away.

"What they took has no value for the likes of us Outcast _things_ … but it's all ye've got that's yer own," she said hoarsely, and moved to the door. Fran's red-rimmed eyes bulged when she heard the lock click open, and Asa turned her torso aside while still keeping her face hidden and threw her the key, covered in vomit, for which Franae fumbled after. "Wait a bit before comin' out, then look for Lord Lissoth, but don't leave the dungeons."

"Wait!" Fran begged. She knew not what to say, or how to say it, though. "How… how long do I wait here?" she asked quietly, settling for meekness.

"Until the screamin' starts," Asa said, and left.

* * *

One not very divulged fact of having dungeons is that when you decide to turn your basement into a prison, people will yell their heads off at you, not only due to torture but in hopes of giving you insomnia.

To counter that, the stonemasons made the dungeons from strong and thick rock walls, so not to bother the lord and lady's beauty sleep.

That was something every Outcast knew, and had used at least once in their career, since for some unfathomable reason – and there were those who debated very intellectually trying to find it; the most current theory was that the tin helmets caused the brain to overheat – guards everywhere always thought the Outcasts' reputation to be overrated. They just could not believe somebody could be deviously skilled enough to outsmart them in their own environment.

That night was Asa's first solo venture in a dungeon; she had done one job with a cousin to learn the feel of the thing before, of course – by age twelve an Outcast was supposed to have apprenticed in all sorts of environments, as the clans believed that early learning made for longer living – but the freedom to decide what to do was new.

Not that she seemed to care for that; her face was empty of emotion except for a cold, intellectual focus.

She found the first guard smoking while sitting on the stairs to the upper level of the dungeon, where the staff slept and did all those tedious administrative tasks one has to do when harboring prisoners, such as cleaning torture implements, keeping fresh hay to change in the cells often enough that the prisoners weren't eaten by the rats, cleaning said prisoners a bit before the lord interrogated them. He had no time other than to widen his eyes comically before she stuck her dagger upwards the front of his neck.

The second guard she attracted after fruitlessly waiting an entire hour by whistling loudly, and watched from where she balanced on the walls near the ceiling as he skidded on the blood Asa had collected into a bucket and sloshed around for that exact reason into tumbling down the stone steps and ending up with his head impaled on a spike she had strategically positioned at the wall where the stairs curved to the right.

The third guard came at the heels of the second's scream, and Asa jumped down, pushing him down the stairs with her feet in the process. The man's head hit the same spike at a higher velocity, pushing the previous forward and impaling itself neatly behind it.

The fourth came yet an hour later carrying a tray with three bowls of stew down the stairs to the dungeons from the wet kitchen – there was another exit at the end of the long corridor that led to the palace proper, and yet another that most probably led to the cesspit at the end of the gardens. This man Asa pointed to the staff room with her dagger, and motioned to leave the tray at the table and sit in one of the stools in front of it, before closing the door behind her.

"The escorts that came with us, a man and a boy," she started calmly, and the man raised his hands, having recognized her for what she was as soon as he had spotted her short hair.

"Dead, but please don't kill me, I was just following orders," he pleaded. "Captain told us to rough 'em up a bit while he and Tommy and Laughlin dealt with you, to start 'em talking, but the boy hit his head on the floor too hard when he fell, twas an accident, I swear. After that the man went berserk, the only way to stop 'im was killing him."

"How many of ye are left up there and where's yon captain?" Asa asked in the same calm voice, and the man's bladder gave out.

"Please ma'am, uh, milady, miss, there's only the four o' us and Captain, tis but a small castle in a poor land, we has no choice but to work for lord Keselth, please spare me, I have a family," he begged, trembling.

"Everyone has one. But if ye tells me where yon captain is I won't have to kill _every single dogsbody in the castle_ to get to 'im, and I bet a gold piece ye appreciates some of them dogsbodies more than ye loves yer captain, don't ye?" Asa said, moving to stand behind the man.

The guard swallowed back his tears, and nodded. "Captain should be feeding the salamander, tis kept in a cage up at the lord's private study on the first floor. The stairs ye caught me coming from serve all the levels, the study is to the right of them. Please… please don't kill any o' the women, me wife works in the kitchens and me daughter is one o' the maids."

"Thank you," Asa said, and shoved her dagger up the back of the man's neck. He slid from the stool to the floor without a sound, and his legs twitched once, then went still.

* * *

Franae had left the cell a long time after hearing the blood-curdling scream echo through the dungeon floor, finally able to calm herself down and believe it was alright to move from where she huddled into a ball rocking back and forth.

She was currently timidly peeking into the quiet cells, cringing every time she heard an unpleasant sound. She tried not to think about how Asa felt, and especially about what Asa thought of her.

She found what she wanted on the last cell on the row of doors opposite to the one they had been put in, and tried the key Asa had given her on it. After a bit of creative forcing, the door opened, and she ran to the man shackled to the wall.

"Lord Lissoth?" she asked breathlessly, and the man raised a weary head. "Milord how can I get you out of those shackles? Do you remember which of the guards have the keys?" she asked, holding his head upright and trying to feel for any wounds she could heal.

"Who… who…" he mumbled, then shook his head sharply. "Suzhi. You have to save her, please, forget me, get her out of here, my father won't kill me please take her back to Srasra and warn her to take the children and run, run before they all get killed, Father has sent people to kill them, please," he said hurriedly, tears welling up his eyes.

"No no no, calm down, nobody will hurt your family," Franae said. "Our friends are protecting them, we've come to find where you and Suzhi were taken, and now we're taking you back to them," she explained. "But first I need to know, do you remember who has the keys to those shackles, if the captain or one of the guards?"

Lord Lissoth blinked a few times. "Ca-captain, I think."

Franae swore, and turned to leave the cell.

"Wait!"

* * *

Asa frowned. "You Suzhi?" she asked.

Nod.

"Pull the other one, tis got bells on."

Vigorous head shaking.

"Seriously?"

Nod, nod.

Asa sighed, and shook her head. "Figures," she muttered.

* * *

Franae was halfway up to the first floor of the castle when the beast lunged at her face out of nowhere, gagging her mouth and coiling around her neck. She fainted, and the next thing she saw was Asa's feet, then her hands, as she helped her up.

"What did I say about little salamander girls gettin' in the way of big people business?" Asa said seriously, and Franae raised her head to see a flattish, scaly, round snouted snake-shaped head, around the size of a man's hand, nod dejectedly over Asa's shoulder, before nuzzling behind her ear.

"Um, I see you found Suzhi. I was going to warn you, Lord Lissoth said-"

"The captain had the keys to 'is shackles," Asa completed, and pulled them up from her belt. "They was with the cage key, she din't let me leave afore gettin' them, tried to eat me hand off, she did," she explained in the same serious, cool tone, but tickled the creature's jaw, causing it - her, for Suzhi was a person, Lord Lissoth's daughter and twin to the boy Esallazs – to delightedly open her toothless maw and hiss.

"What did you do to the captain?" Franae asked quietly, despite herself, as they reached the dungeon's lower level.

"I decorated the room with 'im," Asa said cryptically. "Now let's grab yon Kin and git while most o' the staff and the nobs are sleepin', else they might think o' sending more men after us, I ain't willin' to bother wi' that."

* * *

"Didja see Mint yesterday?" the Red girl asked a few feet from where Raziel waited for his turn at the breakfast buffet, and he turned sharply.

"Yeah, asked him how was the job, said it was fine, just came to give a report to Lady Venia. They probably won't come back before Drake's Night ends, the unlucky buggers," Knucker answered her, and chuckled.

Raz smiled for the first time in two months when hearing that.


	14. 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, reviews are always extremely welcome!

"Love changes us so much, you know," Lord Lissoth said, caressing Suzhi's head and softly tickling between her small wings, making her gurgle softly as she slept coiled around his torso, her head propped on his shoulder.

Franae smiled at them.

They had been riding hard for the last two hours, and only now were able to slow their pace so their tired mounts could survive the journey. The sun was rising already, Asa just an outline against it at the front, riding without complaint except for what looked like an occasional whole-body shudder.

Franae tried very hard not to stare worryingly at her.

"How did you meet?" she asked her charge. Lord Lissoth chuckled.

"I was hunting boars, and I got distracted out of my way far too late, so I hid in a cave to spend the night. Turns out it was one of Srasra's 'meditating' spots" he said, making quote marks with his fingers. "I had never met a salamander in person; you can imagine how terrified I was of her, then. And she of me," he continued. "She spoke to me, though, instead of simply barbecuing the strange White invader, and we reached then a truce, and afterwards a friendship, for I was fascinated by such creatures."

He gave Fran a small smile. "At the beginning, I thought them all so repulsive," he said, and Franae's eyes widened. "Yes, even her," he said, and nodded. "But with time, I began to understand, and admire them for who they were. And one day I just looked at Srasra, and realized my heart was hers forever. Her soul was so brilliant, so beautiful, her body became as such to me as well. And so are our children, our beautiful boy and our beautiful little dragon-girl," he said, smiling fondly as Suzhi wiggled more comfortably over him.

"However, my father, like so many Whites, cannot abide the idea of mixing our blood with others, despite being exactly the lack of mixing that created such bloodlines as the Salamanders. I had believed our secret safe, but as Esallazs and Suzhi grew it was impossible to keep them trapped in the gorge. Especially this one," he motioned to Suzhi, who whined softly in her sleep. "Soon the children of Rustshade had met and befriended them. And one day my father's tax collector saw Suzhi near Rustshade. From there to her capture it was but my father's order. I pleaded with him to let her go, but the moment he heard I was her sire he locked me up in the dungeons and concocted the plan to kill all at the Gorge. If it weren't for brave young Jeph, the dragons care for his soul, and the other children, my line would've ended, for I shall never have another consort but my Srasra."

Franae felt humbled by his words, and imagined that Srasra had truly to be a remarkable woman, to have overcome a White's natural repulse to different looks. After all, Franae herself hadn't been successful in finding a match in the White clan, and she was indubitably beautiful, if a Halfling.

They traveled for another hour, until Lord Lissoth called for a stop near a stream, so the horses could recuperate. Fran and Asa shared whatever food they still had in their pouches with the other two, Asa making a thin porridge for Suzhi without asking what she ate, after sending yet another of her strange animals – this time, a large bumblebee with a tiny message strapped to its leg – to Rustshade.

"How did you know?" Lord Lissoth asked, and she pointed to Suzhi's mouth.

"No teeth. I reckons she don't eat no meat either, right?"

"Yes… she eats only fruit and other soft foods."

Asa nodded, and went quiet again, pulling a big chunk of mandrake root from her pouch and sitting away from the others. 

* * *

 

 

"Milord I am sorry, but not one of the men in the castle will raise arms against Rustshade. It is impossible to convince them, after… after this," Lord Keselth's majordomo said, making a sweeping gesture around the study.

The White lord ground his teeth together in anger. Not only had he lost his entire guard, but the damned Outcast – and wasn't it a surprise to see that the stupid Halfling had come with one of those, just proved how rotten her blood was – had made such a grotesque display with his Captain's remains, no amount of cleaning would ever restore his study to its former appearance. He snarled at the man's head inside the gilded cage, on its stand beside his desk.

"I do not care. Rally every able man, on pain of death. If my son and that Halfling want war, then that is what they'll get."

* * *

 

Briam squealed loudly, as the bumblebee landed on his nose. Eris made to flick it away, but Mint held his arm.

"Tis Asa's," he said, and stretched a finger.

"How dost ye know?" Eris asked, while Mint carefully retrieved the message from its leg.

"Tis magical, like Asa's other companions. I can taste its aura," Mint explained.

"Um, yes, now that I'm not fearing for my life I can feel it too," Briam commented, embarrassed.

"Bloody hell, I can hardly see what's written," Mint complained, and Eris took the note from him.

"Says they're coming back with Lord Lissoth and his daughter, and for us to get prepared," he said.

"How in all hells can you read such small writing?" Mint asked, befuddled, and Eris shrugged.

"Always had good eyesight. We better tell Lady Venia, the salamanders and get ready for a siege, I doubt they left the castle in good terms with Lord Keselth," he said, and raised his head as he heard the chiming sound of Mint casting his teleporting spell.

"Want anything from Emberholm?" Mint asked, lighted by the glow of the runes floating around him.

"You," Eris whispered, "I mean, safe travels," he blurted loudly.

Mint nodded, keeping his face carefully blank, and then he was at the University's courtyard.

He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness, attributing the tingling in his stomach to the teleport.

Back in Rustshade, as they walked to the town hall to warn the others, Briam gave Eris a long side look. "You, my dearest friend, have a problem," he said gravely.

Eris ran a hand over his face. "I know," he whined. "But he looks so damn otherworldly handsome when he casts, it makes me daft as a turnip… gods, Briam, will ye help me out? Kick me shins or something, I don't want to bodge our friendship over something he won't even be able to comprehend with how innocent he is," he asked in a helpless tone.

Briam rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll nudge you when you turn cabbage," he said, and Eris turned to him with a frown, "With a stick. From very far away, preferably," he started laughing, "Lest you get excited and try to debag me!" he finished, guffawing at the affronted look on his friend's face.

"Ye brother of mine, I have seen yer goolies drop, and that's more than enough to make me refuse to debag you if your trousers were on fire. Humph!"

* * *

 

"Oi! Mint!"

Mint turned his head warily, and waved weakly at Knucker. The other Black swept a gaze over him, and frowned.

"You look knackered, my good man, is everything all right?" he asked.

"Tis not a milk run, but not too bad, except for teleporting to report back and forth," Mint answered, and Knucker nodded sympathetically.

"Curse of being a mage, can't abide playing errand boy myself," Knucker said. "How's the lads? If you need the help, I can muck in, this close to Drake's there's hardly anything going on," he offered, but Mint shook his head firmly.

"Everyone is fine, thank you. Don't think we'll be able to be back by Drake's, in the end." he said, scowling.

"Bugger, Drake's tea here is a proper nosh up, they don't even mull the wine. Bought me a box of johnnies already," he said with a wink, and nudged him.

"A box of what?" Mint asked, and Knucker's eyes went wide.

"Cor blimey, boy, haven't you learned anything of the world yet?" he exclaimed, laughing heartily, and smiled when Mint only kept staring at him. "Ohoho, you are indeed an innocent lamb, young fella me lad. Johnnies are preventatives," he explained with a chuckle.

Mint looked at him up and down from above his nose. "I don't care to know all the aliases for referring to those," he said.

"Well, as long as you use them! Send the old arse bandit and Briam my greetings, will you?" he said with a forced smile, as Mint kept a stony expression.

He stalked through the main building shortly after, fuming. The nerve on that boy! So what if Mint wasn't as raucous as his friends? So what if he felt uncomfortable talking about these issues with other men? Even though he did still attempt to rile Mint to death with such jokes as that… that incomprehensible "You" he had said back in Rustshade, or the way he stared at him sometimes (even though Mint had no idea how could Eris know such jesting affected him as much as it did, it wasn't as if Mint was letting his irrational reactions show, was it? Oh bugger, was it?), Eris had quickly stopped with the dirtier subjects, indubitably due to respect for Mint, a… a show of good friendship and understanding, no doubt. And what even was an arse bandit, for crying out loud?

"Lord Teminth?" Lady Venia called out from her office, and he skidded, realizing he was so engrossed in his own thoughts he had just missed it, and traced back to join the headmistress.

"Lady Venia, I'm sorry. I came back to report on the mission, milady."

"Well," she said, motioning to a chair. "Report."

* * *

"Methinks tis best to let the Shadows take care of the Reds; we send a couple people up to the Blacks, the Whisperers watch over the Whites," Marten said, moving the colored pieces around the map. Drugum and Flora nodded.

"On the other hand, we should send one of our young to each court, though. Just as a precaution," she said, raising her hand to quiet the men. "I trust the other clans plenty but not enough to give them control over what we know. Especially with us in the position we're in," she gave Drugum a meaningful look, and he scratched his head.

"You're right. We should go back to Emberholm immediately," he said, but she shook her head.

"Something been telling me not to let me chicks out of sight, and I'm a hen old enough to have learnt to obey me feelings. Tis true Jai is safe with the Shadows and Asa's taken her own path so I can't interfere, but if I can keep me men safe, I will," she said in a decisive tone. "So ye and Taenth stay with us, at least until me gut tells me ye can go. Please?" she asked, giving her brother-in-law a serious look.

Drugum sighed. "Dost ye really want that around yer baby boy for long?" he asked, and Flora kicked him in the shin. "Ow! What? I'm just giving ye a friendly warnin', have you the least idea how much he spoils that brat of his? Tis a shame, I tell ye."

She kicked his other shin.

* * *

 

"Oi, welcome back, what did… Lady Venia…" Eris began and stopped, frowning with an alarmed expression as he looked over Mint's shoulder. Mint turned on his heel at the same time Briam passed running by them and then he teleported to where Asa was slipping off her horse unconscious, barely catching her in time.

"What happened?" he asked Fran, who had jumped off her horse and was running towards them, while Briam touched Asa's forehead and scowled, picking her up from Mint's arms.

Fran froze, her face stricken with fear and pain. She looked down at Asa, and back at them, and then at Lord Lissoth, who had dismounted and was reaching her side with a worried expression.

"Later," Briam said, urging Fran to follow him. "Eris, Mint, take Lord Lissoth to his family and please sort this mess out for us while we help her," he ordered.

Mint and Eris moved to Lord Lissoth, and balked in unison.

"Tis my daughter Suzhi, calm down," he said. Suzhi's tongue tasted the air, and she stared fixedly at Eris.

"Um, milord, does your noble daughter bite?" Eris asked, and Mint took two steps away from him. "Lord Black you yellow-bellied prat!" Eris yelled in his best betrayed tone.

Suzhi bent her head sideways, and jumped from her father's shoulders onto Eris', who froze. She nuzzled his hair and neck, curious.

"Don't worry, she won't bite you. It seems she likes you," Lord Lissoth said, and turned serious. "Can you take me to my wife and her people, please? We believe my father will be hot on our heels; we must prepare for battle, I'm afraid."

They nodded and motioned for him to follow them, Mint giving a worried gaze to where the healers had scurried away with Asa.

* * *

 

Briam laid Asa on a bed at the inn and began loosening her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Franae asked, scandalized. He gave her a startled look.

"I'm looking for injuries, is what I'm doing," he explained. "Lest you tell me what happened, how am I supposed to know what to heal?"

Franae swallowed dry, and touched his arm. "She… she was beaten," she said in a small voice. "And… and raped…" her eyes filled with tears. "She let them do it so they wouldn't rape me," she whispered, ashamed. "And I didn't… I didn't…" she stammered, and covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

Briam stayed quiet for a minute, and then touched her shoulder. "Fran. Fran? I need to know exactly what they did to her, because I have the mana but I don't have a lot of skills, I can't heal slowly like you," he said kindly, and when she raised her head to look at him, he was also crying.

So she told him, and watched as his face changed from horrified, to sick, to twisted with dark rage, to softened with sadness.

"I'm… I'm… I'm so sorry," Franae sobbed. "I was so biased against her I couldn't even believe she was doing that to help me, I thought she just wanted to keep the pouch I was carrying hidden, I didn't even think to stop her when she told me to stop healing because I couldn't imagine that someone like her would… would…"

"Actually show kindness towards other people?" Briam asked softly, and she nodded.

"Let me try something I learned with the salamanders. You remember how to absorb excess healing power from Master Volos' lessons?" he asked, and she nodded again. "Good, because I can't do that to save me life. I'll push it in and you pull the excess out, exit point should be, er, around these nodes," he explained, and pointed to where Asa's thighs joined with her crotch. Franae blushed, but pushed Asa's legs open so she could reach the ganglia from where she kneeled beside her.

Briam breathed slowly, his mana coiling and glowing in his stomach, as he held Asa's head back with her neck stretched, and Fran saw the power being compressed inside, until suddenly he opened Asa's mouth and heaved the healing energy inside her.

The light glowed within Asa's body as the energy healed her internal injuries, bruises forming and fading as the blood vessels rearranged themselves, ribs popping as they cracked back into place, putrid blood being pushed out of her body through her nose, her mouth, her privates, dirtying her loosened leathers that Franae hadn't thought of peeling off her. There was almost no residual energy for Franae to withdraw from the healed body, and she cried again, realizing the amount of sheer agony Asa must've been in since her torture in the hands of Lord Keselth's guard.

Suddenly Asa coughed, expelling the last dregs of dirty mucus from her lungs, and blinked awake with Briam pulling her in for a heartfelt hug.

"Mama tis too early…" she mumbled, and Briam rumbled a low chortle, caressing her hair. Fran let out a sad giggle of her own, and extended a hand shyly towards Asa's, without coming close enough to touch her.

Asa looked sideways at her from the cocoon of Briam's arms. "Ye can touch me, I reckon ye won't catch nothin'," she said, and Fran bawled.

"I'm so sorry Asa! Please forgive me, I'm such a coward, I couldn't imagine Lord Keselth would be such a, such a,"

"Cur?" Asa asked, sarcastically, and Fran nodded.

"I couldn't think he'd do that and then he did and I let you do that and I'm such a coward and-"

"Whoa, hold that thought right there, milady. Lady Franae, first ye dost not have a say on what I do or do not, so don't go giving yerself airs. Second, I'm Unburdened, ye think we get our wombs taken out for our health? Why dost ye think I gave ye my pouch and told ye how to get the weapons inside? I was hopin' yer Kin wouldn't be such a mangy cur, but I went in that castle prepared to face worse than what we did. I was prepared for them to have cut me throat as they were havin' their way with me, and every second ye were crouched in that corner without runnin' away while they were distracted with me I was worried they'd take thee as well," she said gravely, and extended her hand to Fran, who took it and sobbed louder. Asa clicked her tongue and, rolling her eyes, pulled Fran on top of herself, throwing Briam's left arm over the two of them.

"But… but… you wouldn't even let me heal you all the way… you wouldn't even look at me…" Fran babbled, and Asa bristled.

"Well, I was embarrassed, twas not my proudest moment by far and ye saw it all," Asa mumbled. "Also after I was in a mighty hurry to get ourselves out of that place. I didn't know if I'd make it back 'ere but twas my job to get ye and his Lordship to safety. And er, his daughter," she explained, and snorted. "Milord Briam, did ye see that little wonder? Got a tiny little brain that one, must she with that snake head, but it works, she drew us a map to get out the castle unseen, wrote she was taken in by the scullery entrance," she said, looking up at him.

Briam nodded quietly, smiling at her and nodding at Fran with his head. Asa looked to her side and saw the girl had nodded off, clutching her hand and sniffling with trembling breaths.

"'m sorry, ye can let me go now," she said very quietly. "She needed the cuddle, but wouldn't have taken it alone, methinks."

Briam shook his head, swallowed a sob and kissed the top of Asa's head. "Let Eris and Mint sort out the trouble for now and stay here with us in the warm. You done good, Asa, and ye deserve the cuddle, even if ye dost not need it. Healer's orders, if needs be, all right?" he whispered, and after shedding a few quiet tears, which Briam made a point to pretend he didn't see, Asa nodded and turned on her side towards him. He pulled a blanket over the three of them, and watched over their sleep.


	15. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is very short. Next one will be a doozy, though.

“So they won’t send us any help,” Lord Lissoth said, and sighed.

“No, milord,” Mint said, contrite.

Srasra and her right-hand Satta were with them, along with a few of Rustshade’s parents, chosen to represent the human population loyal to Lord Lissoth.

Mint looked at Eris, feeling dejected. He had begged, even, but Lady Venia had made it clear the University wouldn’t meddle in clan disputes. She had told him without doubt they should simply leave and ride back to Emberholm without involving the University further in the White business.

Eris had his head tilted, and an expression of deep thought. After a few minutes, he interrupted the discussion by clapping his hands, and everyone looked at him.

“Lord Black,” he said, looking at the others, but not at him. “How exactly did Lady Venia tell us to go back to Emberholm again?”

Mint frowned. “Her words were thus: ‘You will gather your companions to leave and ride back to Emberholm,’ I can recall.”

Eris turned his head slowly towards him, and raised it, a slow wicked smile on his face. “ _Ride_ , huh?”

Mint was going to retort, when he realized it. “Coo,” he said with a startled look, and turned to the others. “We can’t get more people, but we can stay and help. If you, er, don’t tell anyone,” he offered.

“It would be, you know, completely dissociated from the University,” Eris added. “No guarantees, of course.”

Lord Lissoth and Srasra joined their hands. “I will never be able to thank you enough,” Lord Lissoth said.

“The Sssalamander people will forever be your allies,” Srasra added.

A few hours later they went back to the inn, to find Briam sitting on the front steps, his head in his hands.

Mint saw Eris’ right eyelid twitch.

He bent and touched Briam’s shoulder. “Don’t scare us, Briam,” he muttered, and crouched in front of him. “How are they?”

Briam raised a haunted gaze at him. “They raped her. They hurt her so bad, Mint. So bad, she should’ve died. I don’t know how I healed her,” he muttered with a sob. “I couldn’t cry in front of her, Fran was in shambles already,” he said, “so I stayed there until they both slept. And she’s being strong about it, but…” he mumbled, and shook his head, before holding his face in his hands again.

Mint swallowed dry, and stood again, shaking his head in disbelief. “How? I’ve seen Asa fight, she wouldn’t be easily overpowered,” he asked with a trembling voice.

“She bargained with them for Fran’s sake,” Briam answered. “Keselth gave permission for them to do as they wished, so Asa bargained for them to take her instead, I don’t know what with.”

Eris sat down heavily beside him.

Mint lowered his head and stood apart from his friends. “She said the Unburdened give up their wombs because of the risk of rape,” he said quietly after a while, his back turned to them. “Makes sense she would protect Fran’s maidenhood.”

Eris stood abruptly and walked away, trembling, his hands balled in fists.

Mint followed him with his eyes as he paced with heaving breaths. He himself felt hollow and lost.

If it had been Fran, at least they would know what to say, what to do. They’d avenge her lost honor and console her for her loss. But Asa? Asa’s honor wasn’t measured by her maidenhood. She wasn’t a damsel in distress, she was a trained assassin who had been prepared to go through this sort of thing.

None of that was any consolation for the three of them; and Mint realized if it had happened to Briam, or Eris (not that he could imagine how someone could rape a man, considering they didn’t have the girl bits), he’d be as broken and useless as he felt now, because the horror of this sort of violence was the same, it was done with the intent to humiliate, to hurt beyond physical pain.

He went back and sat heavily beside Briam, the two of them quietly sharing their pain.

* * *

 

_The light was gray and the wind was freezing in Asa’s dream, while she watched the patch of blood with butterfly cocoons over it yield its brood._

_For some reason there was a red-leafed sapling in the middle of it._

_“What a boring dream,” she thought._

_“Would you rather be remembering what happened?” a voice asked, and she turned around in surprise._

_“Mum!” she yelled, and threw herself in Flora’s arms, hugging her tightly._

_“You did good,” Flora said, and held her daughter’s face in her hands. “As expected of my blood.”_

_Asa stretched proudly, and accepted her mother’s kiss on her forehead._

_“Mum? Why are you in my dream?” she asked. Flora gazed at the landscape before them, and went stiff._

_“How many times have you dreamt this?” Flora asked seriously._

_“What?” Asa asked, looking around. The butterflies would leave their cocoons in droves, some unfurling their wings and taking flight for different amounts of time before collapsing, some dying shortly after leaving their cocoons, wings unfurled, and all of them melted into blood as they reached the puddle around the red sapling. “The butterflies? I saw them once with Jai; since then I’ve dreamt of them in one form or another more oft than not, but always alone; why?”_

_Flora gave her a haunted look. “As soon as your task here is done you must leave for the Shadows, they’re the closest to where ye are. Take the boys Erisdar and Briam and stay there with Jai ‘til we get there. Do not get back to the city,” she said, holding onto her daughter’s shoulders._

_Asa frowned. “Eris gonna go postal if he don’t see his da, I dunno if I can drag ‘im around like that, Mum,” she said. Flora shook her head._

_“Taenth an’ Drugum are with us, tell ‘im we’ll meet them there; thank the dragons the Shadows are our strongest bond,” Flora said, and took a deep breath. “Tis an ominous sign, this vision, but do as I say and there may be hope,” she explained._

* * *

 

The sun was rising when the majordomo came back. He wasn’t surprised to see Lord Keselth awake and waiting for him.

“I have gathered fifty men, milord,” he said, and bowed.

“Tis not enough, not enough by far, find me more men!”

The majordomo felt his eye twitch.

“Milord, many of the men in the nearest villages have left to harvest your iron mine for the winter.”

“Well? Go to the mine and fetch them, then! And move your lazy ass to the farthest villages, I want every single able-bodied man ready to raze the Agni Gorge to the ground. Every single one who can wield a weapon, no matter how old or young!” Lord Keselth yelled. “You have five days, majordomo, or I will have your head for supper!”

The majordomo paled.

“Yes, milord.”

* * *

 

Briam and Mint heard Asa’s complaints coming from inside the inn at the same time Eris came back, sullen, ragged and dirty as if he had spent the entire night sparring with trees.

“I said I’m fine, leave me alone,” Asa growled as the three men got inside. “Inkeeper, get me some hot tea, strong enough to coat me insides, if ye will,” she asked, and sat down heavily at one of the tables, Franae fussing around her like a worried hen. “And milady, by the dragons if ye don’t find somethin’ else to occupy yerself with I will tell ev’ryone ye and the hefty lad here used me for a bed last night,” she muttered darkly, and nodded in greeting at the others.

“Someone woke up in a good mood,” Eris muttered in the same tone, and he and Asa nodded at each other and they all sat.

The table went quiet until the innkeeper came with a large kettle of tea, a small cauldron of porridge and a basket of bread made with the lard leftover from making cracklings, as they learned when Asa asked between mouthfuls.

“Tis pig country mostly, hardy beasts,” the innkeeper had explained, and gone quiet when the White heir and his salamander consort entered. Srasra smiled at him and curtsied as best she could.

“We don’t eat meat, but understand what you mean,” she said, and they sat at the party’s table.

“Good, more for me,” Asa muttered and stuffed a bun with smoked ham, before gobbling it.

“Forgive our comrade please, she’s gone through a lot of healing,” Mint said.

“Yer Lordship,” Asa asked, “how long ‘till yer father gets a battalion here? By himself, no other lord helpin’.”

Lord Lissoth held his chin in contemplation for a minute.

“He would take about a week to get so many men, what with most of them working at the mines in winter, and yet a few days to get here, what with cartloads of food, tents and all. I’d wager ten days.” he said. “Do you really think he’d attack us with three hundred men, though?”

“We killed about a hundred of your people at the Gorge, your father knew what he was hiring when he called us,” Eris said darkly, and the White lord’s eyes lowered.

“Ten days from now will be Drake’s Night, he wouldn’t!” Franae said, putting her hand to her chest.

“Why not? I would,” Briam said, and everyone stared at him. “It would be the perfect occasion; no one would suspect an attack then. Especially if he hits the Gorge at night, right when us proper Dragonkin are supposed to be sleeping, exactly because we wouldn’t suspect him of breaking convention. From there all he needs is to come up here and collect the whelps to sell as slaves. No offense meant, but the people at Rustshade won’t fight against the winner’s demands, be they you or your father, milord.”

“We aren’t proper kin, though,” Srasra said with a frown, but Mint shook his head.

“I’m sorry, milady, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll bet my hat lord Keselth knows we put a sizable dent to your army. How many people in fighting condition you have now, another couple hundred? Still less than a battalion, and they’ll come with riders, and bowers, and who knows what else, if not because of your fire, because of her,” he explained, pointing at Asa with his thumb. “Especially after what she did, in his castle, to his own guard, under his own nose. He knows he has to hit the Gorge with everything and the scullery sink, in order to reach and bribe Asa to change sides, or else he might suddenly see his own body from afar.”

Srasra bared her teeth at Asa, who regarded her cooly.

“He will. Not that I’ll take ‘is coin, though. Don’t take it the wrong way; I might’ve, in other times, but now me honor requires these Kin alive, and ‘sides that I’ve an interest in dispatching yon father. I hope you ain’t expecting ‘im to survive,” Asa said the last directly to Lord Lissoth in a matter-of-fact voice, and he lowered his eyes before shaking his head.

“Good, we’re settled then. Mint’s right, they won’t attack here, so tis safe to leave folks who can’t or won’t fight and the babbies wi’ only a handful o’ soldiers to watch over ‘em and keep the town’s gates closed,” she said, and went back to her breakfast.

“That leaves the rest of us. We should prepare to leave today, it’ll take us time to prepare for the attack. I agree that Lord Keselth will most probably attack us on Drake’s, but we can’t disregard the chance he’ll come at us earlier with a smaller force,” Eris said, and stood, offering his hand at Lord Lissoth, who had also risen from his seat and took it.

“Thank you again, my friends. These lands will never forget the debt we have with you,” the young lord said.

* * *

 

The days passed quickly, with all the preparations for battle. The people of Rustshade allied with Lord Lissoth and the men joined the forces, making it about two hundred strong, plus the team from Emberholm. To protect the village they built a strong barricade blocking the main road up from the Agni Gorge, and left a small group of ten male salamanders to protect the elderly, the pregnant and the children, both human and salamander. No enemy forces had come close as of yet.

Dusk at the tenth day came about with tension. The lack of envoys or other sort of communication from Lord Keselth made Briam’s assumption seem more and more likely; no one was naïve enough to believe the White lord would simply let his son get away with what he wanted.

At the University, the feast was at an end, the young Dragonkin getting ready to turn in early, as was traditional in the longest night of the year, in order to be protected from the drakes that were to fly that night, spreading disease upon the land as revenge against those who burned their tree.

No one knew who had come up with that story; many supposed it was some disgruntled mother, trying to force her unruly children to sleep, but it went around since the ancient times, thousands of years ago, and thus became not only a heavy superstition amongst the ruling clans but also a highly awaited holiday, not only for the feast that preceded Drake’s night but also for the gift-giving the next morning, to celebrate another year escaping the wrath of the dragons.

Young people being what they were, however, meant that most of the night was spent awake, with people sneaking in and out of each other’s rooms, confined as they were to each clan’s dormitory buildings.

At the Red castle, the adults were still partying, waiting for the midnight toast, when the two ambassadors from the Black clan bid goodnight to Lord Palar, the Red leader.

At the White castle, the young Black ambassador said her farewells to Lord Tessith, and left the conversation to rest.

In all the Black homes, people got ready for bed, for they were the first to sleep and the last to rise in the morning after Drake’s.

Except for the main castle at the Black Court, where a dark figure moved quickly through a secret corridor.


	16. 15

The sound of drums, hooves and armor clanking could be heard from afar.

“They come, be ready!” Lord Lissoth shouted. Everyone who could wield a bow was perched over the derelict battlements at the mouth of Agni Gorge, along with Fran, Mint, Briam and the fire-breathing salamanders.

Lord Keselth came forward in his horse, his majordomo in armor beside him, and two bannermen carrying torches.

“Lissoth, tis time thy game comes to an end, thou hath an obligation to thine family to fulfill!”

“ _This_ is my family, father! The salamanders are our people as much as everyone else who lives in our lands! My consort and my children, _your grandchildren_ are proof of it! Stop behaving like a blinkered fool!”

Lord Keselth gave his son a dark look.

“So be it.” he said, and the sound of arrows pierced the sky right before falling over the battlements.

“My line ends with me. Kill the traitor and all his allies!” Lord Keselth yelled, while his army opened for him to gallop away to safety.

“Protect yourselves!” Eris shouted, jumping down to face the enemy soldiers while Mint and Fran struggled to magically shield their own archers.

“The mongrel had them shoot before the parley finished!” Briam growled, sweeping the skies above them with his own magical spells to destroy as many arrows as he could, amidst the screams, as people dropped wounded or dying left and right.

Lord Lissoth screamed as an arrow pierced his left shoulder, and Franae ran over to him, but was intercepted.

“Ye’re comin’ with me,” Asa muttered, grabbing her arm and dragging her down the battlement ruins while signaling something to someone beyond Franae’s field of vision.

“Lord Lissoth is wounded!” Franae exclaimed, struggling.

“Yep, Suzhi’ll heal ‘im,” Asa said without looking at her, and shoved her against a horse. “Ye’re takin’ me round the enemy forces so I can cut the cur down. I reckon as soon as his force sees ‘is nog chopped off they’ll surrender,” she explained, pushing Fran over the saddle and stretching her own hand. “Well?”

“Why are you making me take you?” Franae asked with wide eyes, before stretching her hand. Asa scowled before taking it and climbing behind her.

“Can’t ride as well as ye, dunno why but yon wheat-haired friend don’t want me to ‘take risks’ at this battle,” she grunted. “So now no man will take the likes of me ta kill that cur and end his silliness afore all o’us are dead,” she explained while kicking the horse into motion.

* * *

 

Kemoth stopped at the cave entrance and glanced around before entering. The foul smell hit him at once, and he raised a perfumed handkerchief to his nose, moving quickly down the earthen steps.

“Milord,” came the raspy greeting, and Kemoth stopped, his blood running cold before he took the last step down.

In the middle of the cave chamber stood a small altar, with a tiny, misshapen figure lying over it, sobbing quietly.

As the Black king approached it he noticed the details, such as the grooves carved into the stone, and the ropes binding the creature’s scaly arms and legs, illuminated by a lone candle.

“It is time,” the voice said, and its owner came into view. Kemoth held his revulsion to himself as he saw the aged, dry, burnt husk of what must have been a woman long, long ago, much longer than when he last had touched her. All that mattered was the power, he reminded himself. What he had done, and what he was still to do was of no consequence against immortality. The crone caressed the misshapen thing on the altar with a gnarled hand.

“Forty years since I gave you your first, milord. You were very patient… it is time you receive your just reward.”

Kemoth came closer to the altar, setting his jaw into a hard line. “Power overwhelming, into eternity,” he said, and pulled his dagger from its scabbard.

The crone nodded. “Power overwhelming, into eternity. Dost thou remember the spell as I’ve taught it to thee, my liege?”

“I do,” the Black king said, and cut away the bindings of his right sleeve, stretching his wrist over the creature’s head. It immediately stopped sobbing and opened its mouth eagerly, making little encouraging grunts. Kemoth made a cut on his own wrist and pumped his hand so the blood would flow into the thing’s gullet.

“Born of my seed, and fed with my blood,” he began chanting, and moved the dagger to the creature’s chest.

“Find and feel your brothers and sisters, my Firstborn, for they are you, and you are they,” he said, and ran his dagger through the infant’s heart.

It screamed, and the black blood began to flow into the stone grooves.

* * *

 

Knucker woke with a fright, and nearly fell off his bed. He got up and shivered, before making himself comfortable again.

“Bloody geese walking over my grave,” he muttered, punching his pillow back to perfection.

* * *

 

Franae rode as fast as she possibly could, watching as the battle unfolded from afar.

“Lord Teminth has joined Eris at the fray!” she said, as the bright blue of frostfire was seen at ground level.

“The less ye watches the quicker it ends, keep yer eyes on the road!” Asa scowled her.

* * *

 

Thin trails of black shadows began slithering out of the cave, traveling fast and unerringly.

First were the four children at the Black Keep, waking up with the shadows entering their bodies through their noses, ears and mouths, the whites in their eyes becoming as black as their irises as their struggling ceased.

Then the shadows moved on, from Black castle to Black castle, all through their lands, claiming a child in some, a father or mother, a husband or a wife in others, and no calls or shaking could bring them back from their stillness.

They reached the Red Keep, where the Black ambassadors were taken, one in his bed while reading, suddenly struggling against the invading darkness, the other coming back to bed from using his chamber pot, and falling to the floor as the shadows seized him.               

They crawled over the Black Ambassador at the White Keep as she kissed her young son good night, after pulling the covers over him.

And on and on they spread, everywhere Lord Kemoth had planted his seed, his legitimate dozen and the hundreds of firstborns he had bred in Prima Nocti all through the last forty of his fifty-seven years.

* * *

 

The Firstborn’s eyes went entirely black.

“Tis working, milord,” whispered the crone, and Kemoth nodded. He took his gloves off, as instructed.

“With thine eyes, I see through all,” he said, and plucked the baby’s eyes out with his bare fingers, looking at the small orbs in his hand before eating them, forcing himself to ignore the pitiful, pained screams.

The crone handed him a small rusty knife, and he grabbed the small tongue. “With thy tongue, I speak for all,” he said while cutting it off, and ate it.

The Firstborn was now shrieking and choking on his own blood, and Kemoth pulled out the dagger from its chest. “And with thine heart, I control all,” he said as he dug inside the chest cavity and yanked the tiny heart from inside it as his son’s screams peaked, noticing the myriad of shadowy tendrils coming out of it with a disimpassioned glance, before eating it, as well, and the Firstborn finally went silent.

The Black lord swayed, the magic changing him from the inside out, burning and freezing at the same time, his body trying to reject the eaten organs. Kemoth’s eyes widened with the pain, and he tried to take it back, to refuse, to give up, but the shadows took him from within and soon he was forgetting why and what he was fighting, feeling only power, power overwhelming coursing through his veins, his mind clear, his only purpose to control, to take, to rule.

Lord Kemoth’s brood stood as one.

* * *

 

By now they were using even the bodies of their allies and enemies against the lances and swords to protect the human and salamander fighters from the onslaught.

Most of Lord Lissoth’s archers had fallen in the surprise wave of arrows, despite the magical shields, and the healers were working frantically up on the ramparts. The melee fighters who jumped to aid Eris fared better, but they were outnumbered in the first place, not to mention they were trying as hard as they could to only maim, and not kill, most, like Eris, wielding battle hammers instead of swords.

Mint grunted as he pulled his sword out of another man, having resorted to physical fighting in order to conserve mana, and threw an ice-spike with his left hand at an attacker ready to chop Eris’ head off because he had turned to look at him in alarm.

“Mind yourself!” Mint yelled, elbowing Eris’ back, which was touching his own.

“Why did ye jump ye arsehole, ye’re gonna get killed!” Eris yelled back, while slamming his cracked shield on three men.

“And stay like a sitting duck up there so I could weigh on Briam’s back?” A parry and a slice, and an enemy fell with his knees wounded.

“Briam’s up there alone? Where are the others?” A headbutt forward taking care of one enemy, a shield slam to the left over a second man’s ear, Eris’ hammer striking a third up on the chin.

“Fran went to see to Lord Lissoth, haven’t seen Asa yet!” A meaty crunch and a groan sounded behind Eris. “Ye’re too frail for this sort of fight ye wispy maiden, get back up there!”

“I said _mind yourself_ , man of little faith!” Mint growled after spitting out a tooth, and then cast a freezing gale, buying them some room to move with it.

* * *

 

“Stop here,” Asa said, and Franae coaxed the horse to stop, and dismounted to follow the Outcast onward among the trees, toward a nearby fire.

She started when she saw the three soldiers standing, but Asa held her wrist in a deathgrip.

“I see my little envoy found you,” Lord Keselth said, coming out from behind a tree. “Good to know my proposition was accepted,” he said, and motioned to the guards, who came forward and grabbed Fran’s arms as she stared at Asa, dumbstruck.

“Ye’ve got the coin in ye?” Asa asked in a professional tone, and Lord Keselth pulled a hefty purse from his waist, and threw it. Asa grabbed it midair and opened, pulling some coins out of it. “Weighs about right,” she commented.

Franae turned her head away, suddenly sick. The guards tied her, and secured her to a tree close to the fire, Lord Keselth sitting on a small stool next to it, and motioning for Asa to sit on the other side. A servant came and offered her tea, which she waved away, and pastries, which she took.

“Am I to understand this stupid skirmish will be over soon?” the White lord asked, and Asa nodded, sugary crumbs falling on her lap.

“Yeah. Quick venom too, give it a bit and Bob’s yer uncle,” she said, licking her fingers after finishing the treat.

“Very well. It will be good for morale to let Rustshade’s mongrels see what happens to people who disobey their betters,” he said with a smile.

“I’ll be right off yer hair, then, just has to count the money first. To make sure, yer Lordship.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of letting you leave without receiving word from my troop that this… nuisance has ended.”

Asa grinned, and pulled a cloth from her pouch, laying it across her lap and turning the bag over it.

“Coo, all in change, just like promised. Ye really knows how to treat the likes o’ us,” she said, and began counting.

* * *

 

Knucker understood it all now; he wasn’t alone in his thoughts, or his memories, or his actions. That wasn’t a problem, though, for it felt right, it felt as it should be, despite the cold inside his chest. Whatever unease he might have had was suppressed by the Voice of his Father in his head, the inescapable presence he could only serve.

“ _You_ ,” Father said, “ _You are my champion. Gather your brothers and sisters and destroy all those who won’t submit to Us._ ”

“Yes, Father.”

“ _We are the only true Blacks. Destroy all others, so only we may rule._ ”

Knucker opened his door and stepped into the corridor, nodding to his brothers and sisters on his father’s side, the nine who were in the Academy with him. They nodded back, and moved into the other rooms.

* * *

 

Atizz had been having trouble sleeping for a long time now, and walking was a way to try and coerce his body into slumber. Forbidden from wandering outside the White dormitories that night, he haunted the windowed corridors, moving as quietly as possible, and that is how he saw the Blacks kill one of the beadles in charge of keeping the young nobles in check, before moving into the White building.

He ran up the stairs in as quietly as he could and ended up at Raziel’s door, his hand raised but frozen in fear of his anger. What if Raziel just beat him black and blue without listening to him? What if he hadn’t really seen right and all this was a prank? What if Raziel couldn’t do anything? What if they caught him here staring at Raziel’s door?

The last thought snapped him out of it, and good thing too, because steps were sounding up the stairs. Atizz ran to the garderobe closet at the far end of the hall, where the chamber pots were cleaned and the brooms and other cleaning things were kept, and thanked his stars when he found the door unlocked, slipping in quickly and leaving a tiny sliver open so he could see outside.

The Blacks appeared, dragging a White girl with them, who they pushed away as soon as she pointed at Raziel’s door. Knucker gestured at it and a burst of frostfire blew it in.

A scream sounded, and Raziel came out, wielding a sword. “What do you think you’re doing, Black?” he demanded, but then froze. “What happened to you?” he asked more quietly, and Knucker smiled smugly.

“Our Father, King Kemoth, has devised a way to gather all his children and join them in body and mind. Together we are one, and we are invincible,” he explained, pointing at his own eyes. “All those who bear this trait are his, and we are One. The time is ripe for the strongest of all to rule,” he explained. “I’ve come to propose you a deal. You and those loyal to you join us against those others who might oppose our Father, and we’ll spare your life.”

Raziel snorted, shook his head and started laughing. “My… hahaha… my… ohohoho… my life?” He laughed again, bitterly. “You think I _care_ about my life? I _have_ no life!” he growled.

Knucker scowled, then made a puzzled face, and tilted his head as if he was listening to something, and then smiled. “And what if we give you your life back?” he asked, and Raziel blinked.

“Join us, and we will give you Erisdar of the Red.”

“What about that Black he’s so infatuated with, and the Gray?”

Knucker went still for a moment. “Briam is of no consequence, and our brother Mint is dead.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Our brother Mint was Father’s best hope for a champion, since he mastered the frostfire on his own, but alas, he is absent from our communion. We are all one, Father and brood, and Father knows where all his whelps are. Hence, poor Mint is dead, and I have become Father’s champion.”

Raziel took a shaking breath, and composed himself. “I and mine will join you. You will have much resistance from my father and the others, though.”

Knucker smirked. “Your father has already been dealt with, and the previous White Court is being taken care of as of this moment, Lord White.”

Raziel’s eyes went hard. “Good.”

Atizz backed away from the door, his mind focused only on finding a way to get out of the building before Raziel and Knucker ended their pleasantries and started – he gulped – picking Raziel’s chosen. He had no illusions as to what would happen to the other Whites.

His calves eventually hit the garderobe. He pulled the wooden lid, calculated the depth of it, and groaned internally. Yes, it hadn’t been mucked out, on the bright side. On the not so bright side, he would never get rid of the stench, would he. Oh, the things a man must do to survive.

He jumped in at the same time the screams started.

* * *

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to retire yet?” Volos asked Venia as they took the stairs from the banquet room.

“No, I still have some business to attend to. Go rest, my friend, tomorrow is another day.”

Venia entered her study, and sighed at the pile of papers in her desk.

She was completely engrossed on her work when a sharp knock on her window startled her. She rose, and as she came closer with a light orb hovering by, her mouth opened in disbelief.

“Young man, what are you doing out of your quarters?” She asked as she opened the window. “And in such state?” She said, covering her nose.

“Lady Venia the Blacks and milord Raziel are ki-killing ev’ryone,” Atizz stuttered, his teeth rattling in the cold, the snow-covered muck sliding from him as it began melting with the heat from the fireplace. He raised his hands to interrupt her.

“Please milady, I saw everything, a score of Blacks killed the porter and went to Lord Raziel’s door, and Knucker said his father was Lord Kemoth and that now he and all his children were one and were going to take over the world and they had no white in their eyes and Knucker promised to give Eris to Lord Raziel if milord helped him, he said King Tessith was dealt with and I dunno what he meant but I think they killed him please Lady Venia don’t let them kill me too, please I’ll do anything!”

Venia grabbed him by the shoulders, grimacing at the foulness. “Are you quite mad, boy?” she asked in concern.

Atizz shook his head vehemently. “Mi-milady, they used fro-frostfire, no one but Teminth ever used it, least of all Knucker,” he stammered, and fidgeted.

Venia took two steps back. “Frostfire,” she said, and Atizz nodded again. “A binding spell of some sort? But… oh,” she said, and her eyes widened. “That slimy little bugger, no wonder he moved his sons to the other Courts!” she exclaimed, and a large explosion rattled the windows of the main edifice.

“They come!” Atizz whimpered, and threw himself under Venia’s desk.

“Boy! I will send you to Erisdar’s location. Warn him and ask the Outcast girl to find a way to warn Lord Taenth. Do not let them come back, if they are still alive,” she warned, pulling him up. “Arcane lords, Teminth of the Black was with them,” she groaned.

“Teminth is dead,” Atizz said, and Venia stared at him. “Knucker said only Lord Kemoth’s brood can use frostfire and they’re all under his will, their minds united. And Teminth isn’t there, so he died,” he explained.

Another booming explosion was heard, and frost creeped up the windows with alacrity.

Venia pulled a handkerchief off her sleeve and wiped her hands as much as she could, before conjuring a portal. Atizz watched apprehensively, one eye on her, another on the door, from under which a freezing fog entered the room.

Venia said the last words of the spell and grabbed him. “Go and do as you were told!” she growled, pushing him through, and wiped her hands again before composing herself.

Her study’s doors exploded.


	17. 16

 

Fran could only stare mutely at Asa.

After a few minutes, Asa scowled at her.

“What?” she asked, drying the sweat off her face with the back of her wrist.

Fran recoiled instinctively, but was able to find her words again.

“I… don’t know what to make of you,” she answered in a truthful whisper.

“Then don’t,” Asa muttered, and jumped on the back of the axe again, letting out a satisfied grunt with the sound of cracked bones. She crouched and finished severing the head from its body with her dagger and spearing its neck from below with a pike, before standing and offering her hand.

“You lied to me,” Fran accused, flinching.

“I did no such thing, milady. On the contrary, ye seems to not have listened when I said I wouldn’ take his money to turn on ye all. Good job by the way, yer mopin’ there tricked ‘em a treat. So stop feelin’ bleeding sorry for yerself,” Asa growled, and shook the hand she was offering. “Make haste, the longer we stay here the more people die.”

Fran took a deep breath and accepted the help, standing on legs still wobbly and moving through the scattered corpses to where the horses were tied. She looked at the scene again after mounting, Asa not surprisingly taking on Lord Keselth’s warhorse, carrying the headed (Fran almost giggled hysterically at that) pike high up.

Fran reckoned that as assassinations went this could be called a clean job: Lord Keselth and his men had fallen in agony at the same time, drowning in their own blood with not a scream, around the fire Asa sat in front of, still counting the coins she had received for her services. 

_“What?” she had asked as Fran shrieked in fear. “Oh, good,” Asa commented, calmly returning the money to its large pouch and putting it away, before standing and poking at Lord Keselth’s head with her toe. “’Bout time, too. Come home, little ones,” she called, and a handful of tiny black spiders crawled up her legs into the pouch tied to her thigh, before she began quickly searching and looting whatever valuables she found in the camp._

_Now, Fran wasn’t what she would call squeamish. She had had to come in contact with people in several states of bodily disarray to learn her healer’s craft, so the sight of chopped-off limbs and such wasn’t one that bothered her much. However, she had never seen anyone have their head chopped off their body in such a haphazard way, especially while the body still twitched._

Asa’s matter-of-fact attitude about the whole thing didn’t help, either. She treated the corpse as if it were meat, as if it hadn’t been a person, who had ordered the unspeakable against her. Even anger would have helped Fran relate to her, but Asa’s cold, professional indifference shocked her to the point where she could only follow after her, staring vacantly as she pushed the horse through the archers.

“Lord Keselth is dead! Long live Lord Lissoth!” Asa yelled, the pike with the deceased lord’s head held against her body, balanced on her hip like a lance. “Come on, milady, help me warn these dogbodies that the battle is over!”

“Lord Keselth is dead, long live Lord Lissoth,” Fran yelled, in a dead voice.

“Louder!”

“Lord Keselth is dead, long live Lord Lissoth!”

“LOUDER, WOMAN!”

 **“LORD KESELTH IS DEAD, LONG LIVE LORD LISSOTH!”** they shouted together at the top of their lungs, as the fray opened to let them through.

* * *

  

“Lord Black, you and your friends can still get out of this without extreme punishment,” Venia said.

“Tis been a long while, sister,” Lord Kemoth said through Knucker’s lips, his voice echoing strangely in the room.

Venia struggled against the magical chains binding her, and then stared at what used to be one of her senior students.

“Kemoth?” she whispered. “What sort of abomination is this?”

Knucker’s face twitched. “ _Abomination_. Yes, it is what you who are beneath my touch would say,”Kemoth said. “Weak-willed, scatter-witted dandiprats and daft cows, fattening up on the gains of our ancestors, unwilling to face the reality that is the impure, the sick, the weak taking over everything with their uncontrolled breeding and their filthy blood tainting our own. No more. No more, _sister_. I and my brood are reborn from the blood of the dragons themselves, pure, powerful, absolute. I shall command the world, and with this power I shall live and rule _forever._ ”

“Thou hast lost thine mind, brother. The covenant was of the three clans, what of the other two? Never will the Reds or the Whites take part in thine insanity!”

Kemoth laughed. “The Reds. Those uncouth, ignorant meat shields have never been a match for us. They are obviously the source of the impurity, and are as we speak being utterly destroyed! Palar’s screams as my first clutch destroys his whelps are music to my ears,” he growled. “As for the Whites, my favorite has come with a delightful idea.”

Knucker’s face twitched again, and he blinked twice before speaking. “My father would destroy the Whites as well, but they are still… useful.”he said nonchalantly. “I have to commend our forefathers for Emberholm. The idea of mingling the youth of the three clans was quite convenient. Especially as we have now the new ruler of the Whites on our side,” he continued, moving aside.

Raziel entered the room, his figure tense, his eyes cold, but his face carefully blank. He threw something on the floor near Venia, who had to squint to see it under the candlelight. It was Volos’ most cherished possession, a magical crystal on a silver chain, which he said allowed him to see through men’s hearts, but that Venia bet was actually a memento from a long-lost lover, so much affection he held for the object.

“The White house is loyal to Lord Kemoth’s brood, and those who oppose will meet the same fate as Lord Volos and my father did; as will Lord Taenth, who by this time must be cavorting with the blacksmith as the scum he is. It is useless to resist, Lady Venia. Join your brother in his crusade, and take part in the new world,” he offered, almost softly in the end.

“Despite being loath of melodrama, I would truly rather die,” Venia growled, and Knucker’s hand rose.

* * *

 

Atizz left the bath able to function again, after having arrived at Rustshade’s square terrified and covered in shit. The salamander queen, the human matrons and the female salamander soldiers left there to protect the elderly, the injured and the children had had serious trouble convincing him that A) they weren’t there to kill him, B) there were no crazy Blacks around for miles, and C) they would protect him in any case.

He still cringed in fear whenever anyone got close to him, which made bathing him a daunting task, but with help from two of the burliest matrons he finally got clean and warm again. Currently he huddled in a corner, bundled in warm blankets, with a mug of warm grog in his hands.

“Don’t worry, your friends will be back sssoon with my husssband,” Srasra said with a sympathetic smile. “They will be fine, you’ll sssee.”

Atizz gave her a sad look, not wanting to go into detail as to Mint’s death. Though if he really thought about it, if he were in his shoes he’d rather have died in battle than becoming that… that thing Knucker and the other children of Lord Kemoth did. Atizz was sure he would spend the rest of his life dreaming of those entirely black eyes, like holes. The memory of it made him shiver.

He looked around at the Browns and salamanders working together peacefully. Children played happily, and Atizz’s eyes were drawn to a small White child amongst the Brown ones.

“Excuse-me,” he whispered to a matron passing by, “Who… who is that child?”

“Oh, that is Lord Lissoth and Srasra’s son, little Lord Esallazs,” she said in a fond tone. “Adorable little tyke, he is, the children love ‘im. Too bad about the sister though, she uh, takes to her mother’s side of the family.”

Atizz watched the children play, trying not to think about the situation at hand and what would their destiny be if the Black king had his plan succeed, and eventually fell asleep.

He woke up with the shouts of the children and women greeting the soldiers back, and sat up groggily, in time to see Eris bustle into the inn carrying Mint’s body over his shoulder, with a tall White noble in bloody garb after him holding a battered black pointy hat, and what in the skies was that coiled around his body?

He shook his head, but the throng of people surrounding them impeded his vision, so he just huddled at his corner very quietly, waiting for the tumult to subside.

After a few minutes, a booming call for quiet effectively silenced the crowd, who parted, exposing Atizz, whose jaw slowly opened as Eris and a battered, black-eyed but still very much alive Teminth of the Black stared at him in confusion.

Atizz stood up and, after debating a bit with himself, approached Mint at where he sat on a table very carefully, and relief flooded him as he saw the whites in his eyes intact, despise the bruising.

“You’re not one of them,” Atizz whispered in wonder. “But… but how? Knucker was so certain, he said all of Lord Kemoth’s children were one under his control, now.”

Eris’ face went white. “My father,” he said urgently, and Atizz shook his head.

“All I was able to do at the time was run to warn Lady Venia,” he explained. “It was soon after the feast ended, I was walking the hallways and saw them coming per chance. I saw them hurt people and heard the screams while they climbed the stairs, so I thought to warn milord Raziel, but when I would call him they caught up, so I hid in the garderobe closet. Presently four of them appeared, Knucker at the ready, and their eyes,” he swallowed dry, “their eyes had lost all the white in them. Knucker blew milord’s door with a frostfire bolt, like Mint casts, and talked to him with two different voices. He said… he said they would take over the entire world,” he said, and went on when no one intervened.

“Milord Raziel decided to support Lord Kemoth’s brood, as they called themselves, and if what they told him is right, Lord Tessith is dead by now, and Milord Raziel is King. I waited for them to move away, and made my way to the main building, and from there Lady Venia sent me here…” he frowned. “Wait, there was something she said… oh yes, she told me to tell you to ask the Outcast girl for a way to warn Lord Taenth.”

“Asa? Asa, please!” Eris called, and pushed some of the people crowding them away.

“Citizens of Rustshade, of Agni Gorge as well, I bid you leave us alone and go take care of your families for now. Some are wounded, and I would ask you to help them. There is also the matter of hosting the men my father had conscripted, and are now under me. So if you please,” Lord Lissoth made a motion with his hand toward the inn’s doors, and the people dispersed after a little while, allowing them to see where Asa sat in a corner, listening. Eris moved to her quickly, and she stopped him with a hand.

“Fear not, yon father is with the Forsaken, and by this time they would be on their way to the Shadows, where me sister is. We’ll meet them there,” she said, and left the room.

Eris nodded in acceptance and, relieved, returned to where the others now sat, collapsing on a chair beside Mint’s.

“Lord… Atizz, right? Did you have no further information that may help us form a defense?” Lord Lissoth asked, and Atizz shook his head.

“All I know is that apparently Lord Kemoth spread his sons and daughters on both the White and Red courts, to kill the Kings and take over,” he said.

Lord Lissoth nodded. “We… we will leave you to talk more freely then, my friends. I shall send word to Lord Briam and Lady Franae so they can join you as soon as possible,” he said, and left with his consort.

Atizz watched them leave, and as soon as they were along, he put a hand over Eris’ shoulder.

“There is one more thing.”

Eris gave him an exhausted look, and Mint frowned.

“Knucker only got Lord Raziel to help him because he offered you as payment, Eris.”

Eris’ look became stone cold, and Mint stared at him, baffled.

“I… I thought you needed to know that they will eventually come after you. I know not why milord accepted the arrangement, but he did,” Atizz completed quietly, and looked down at his hands. “Milord Raziel seemed almost happy that Lord Tessith… that he would take his father’s place.”

Eris stood abruptly and left the room to stand alone in the razor-sharp, freezing wind, and his stance was so closed-off Mint didn’t have the courage to go after him.

* * *

 

One of the Unburdened caught up to Maten and Flora’s horses, a crow on her arm, and delivered her a message.

She turned to Maten with a stern expression. “It’s begun,” she said. “Break the caravan in four groups, we ought to stay low.”

He stared at her, wide-eyed. “ _That_ bad?”

They stopped the caravan, Maten quickly setting the groups and going through routes. In the meantime, two birds and a very tired dragonfly arrived with messages.

“We should discuss this with our guests before we set out,” Flora said, frowning at the messages.

They called on Drugum and climbed the cart housing Taenth, the sheer size of the man being a dead giveaway of his identity making it necessary for him to travel concealed.

Flora cooed at his enormous figure changing the baby’s diapers with a practiced look, pins held in his lips, and he raised an eyebrow at them.

Drugum pulled the pins out of Taenth’s mouth with a displeased grunt, and helped pin the baby’s diapers on, before handing him to Flora, sitting next to Taenth and holding his hand firmly.

Taenth paled, but said nothing.

“You were right,” Drugum said quietly, in formal language. “And you did everything you could.”

Taenth only stared at him.

“Kemoth of the Black has done some sort of spell, and taken over everyone he sired. His legitimate were indeed spread on the other courts, and those were overthrown overnight. The kings and their families were murdered. The few who didn’t surrender and were able to escape are being hunted.”

Taenth closed his eyes for a long minute, after which he looked at Flora in alarm. “The Black with Eris and Briam used Kemoth’s magic,” he said, dreading the reply, but Flora shook her head.

“They’re fine, the mage ain’t taken over,” Flora said hurriedly. “Lady Venia was able to send a messenger to warn Eris so they won’t go back to Emberholm, they’ll meet us at the Shadows’.”

“There is a problem, though. Seems Tessith’s boy Raziel joined with Kemoth’s puppets at the University in exchange for Eris. That makes the Whites formal allies with the Blacks, since the lad is now the White king,” Maten said.

Taenth sat quietly, digesting the information for a while before coming to a decision.

“Maten, please send word I will personally pay one thousand gold pieces for every Red in fighting condition who’s escaped to be safely delivered to Ide’ar Fen, by the south sea near -“

“I know where it is. Are ye quite sure? That ain’t no place for nobs, my friend.”

“Good thing the new Red King has never been much of one, then. Tell yer folk and whoever else in the other clans want to join that the Reds are to be delivered to Razor Abel at Whisperthorn Retreat, and to tell him the Mad Red sent them. Seems we’ve got a war in our hands,” he said the last looking at Drugum. “If ye want to leave,”

“Ye wouldn’t get rid o’ me if ye dared try, bloody stupid man. It’ll be a stretch from the Shadows there, though. And where will ye get the gold to pay for all yer kin?”

“We have half the gold of the Red kingdom kept in a separate location ever since my great-grandfather and my great-great uncle fought for the throne. A house divided cannot stand, but if half of it falls, the other must survive. Never expected to live to see that phrase spoken… but there you have it,” he said, and Drugum squeezed his hand.

* * *

 

 

Mint sat heavily beside Eris on a low bench near the stables, grunting at the pain.

“Ye should’ve gone to sleep, the body takes some time to notice it’s healed,” Eris commented quietly, not looking at him, resting his arms over his drawn-up knees.

“Sod off, you are not going to get rid of me so easily,” Mint replied, wincing. Lord Keselth’s soldiers had done a nice number on him; if it wasn’t for Asa and Fran arriving at the nick of time he would’ve lost his head to one of them simply because his eyes were so beat up he couldn’t see straight and his knees weren’t in much better condition. He had been healed both on site and back at the tavern, Eris having gone postal at his passing out from the pain of the healing process and simply carrying him away like a sack of potatoes, but yes, the pain was still mostly there.

“Want to talk about why is Raz after you?” he asked, not really expecting much of an answer.

“No. Tis my problem with him. On the other hand, congratulations.”

“On what?”

“You get to tell your father you’re really his son, after all.”

Mint blinked. “Oh,” he said, stunned, and presently smiled. Yes, that one was a good piece of news, in spite of everything else. When he had begun to dabble in magic and shown a talent for frostfire the entirety of his parents’ estate had looked at him even more suspiciously as before, even though he didn’t look much like the Black King. To know that it was his own talent and effort that had made him proficient with it gave him a good feeling.

Eris ruined the moment by knocking shoulders with him.

“Ow, you berk, that hurt!” he complained, and turned him into a toad. “And don’t give me that look, serves you right for being a plonker.”

Eris croaked indignantly, and he huffed, before turning him back.

“Don’t ye even have a different animal to turn me into? Cock!”

“I’m not turning you into a cock, thank you; you’d only wake us up in the middle of the night.”

Eris scowled.

“On the other hand, chickens are actually useful, you know, for eggs,” Mint said, and sized him up with a look.

Eris squinted hard at him. “Do not push me, yer Mintness, if ye knows what’s good for ye,” he growled, trying not to laugh.

“Good to know you’re feeling better,” Mint said earnestly.

Eris chuckled. “Thank ye. Could’ve skipped the shape shiftin’, though.”

Mint smiled again, and decided he’d pester Briam later. No doubt he’d know what the hells was it with Eris that had made Raz ally with the Black king against his own House.


	18. 17

 

“Lord Lissoth is lucky ye are staying,” Eris said, and held his arm in a warrior’s greeting. “Ye have become a brave man.”

Atizz looked down and shook his head. “My family lived in the Court, I have no hopes for them. Tis the least I can do to help my kin now,” he murmured. “For what it’s worth… I’m sorry for milord Raziel’s actions.”

Eris gave him a sad look. “So am I.”

“My friends,” Lord Lissoth said, approaching them. “We owe you more than our lives, our very future. Whatever happens, as long as I or mine are alive we shall be your allies. Your passage through these lands will forever remain a secret, and you and yours have a safe haven in these lands. _All_ of you, and _all_ of yours,” he said, pointedly looking at Asa.

“Thank ye,” she said very quietly, and handed Suzhi, who was coiled around her, to him. “Be good,” Asa said, petting her before mounting her horse and pulling away.

“I believe we should get going, else we lose our guide,” Mint said, interrupting Fran and Briam’s goodbyes and recommendations to point at the Outcast leaving through the village’s gates.

“What? Oh that – Asa you, you… _argh_!” Fran yelled, and quickly excused herself, Briam following after her, their heavy hooded capes dragging on the snow.

“Asa really didn’t like that Fran didn’t stay behind, did she,” Mint presently commented after reaching Eris’ horse with his own.

“Well… methinks she’s worried for her, really. Also that ye shouldn’t be calling attention to that, what with ye coming along as well,” Eris said, and scowled.

Mint looked at him with wide eyes. “Me, stay behind? And miss in on all the adventure? Why, that’s no fun at all! Besides, I am most probably the best boffin available to you and Lord Taenth.”

Eris gave him an unimpressed look.

“I am!” Mint exclaimed angrily. “If push comes to shove I am most likely the only Black with knowledge of Frostfire that isn’t under the king’s control, and that is mighty useful. I can teach people about the weaknesses in that class of magic, I can fight it better than Arcane or pure Frost or Fire mages, I can pretend to be one of Lord Kemoth’s brood if need be-“

Eris rolled his eyes. “Fine! Skies above, yer Mintness, thou hast me convinced.”

Mint did a double-take. “Really?”

Eris didn’t turn to him and his helmet made it impossible to see what expression his eyes held, but after a minute of Mint’s insistent stare the corner of his mouth went up in a smirk.

“Really.”

* * *

  

Emberholm burned, except for its slums.

It was a show of power, and its wealthier inhabitants accepted it as such, if grumbling. The few Browns who dared not obey to the Black and White brats who apparently ran the University and with it the city had either fled or died, often in creative magical ways.

“Your coronation will be held as soon as you reach your Court, King Raziel, to cement our alliance and quell any… disturbances,” Knucker said from the late Headmistress’ chair, his feet propped on her desk.

“What about my payment?” Raziel asked from where he stood, watching as servants were questioned under the snow, at the main building’s inner courtyard where the cold would encourage them to fessing up where the hell had Eris’ party been sent to.

It was now a full week since the takeover, and the Halfling party seemed to have vanished from the face of the world. No one knew exactly where the damn village they had been sent to was; Knucker’s short words with his late unknown Black brother had never led to any specific location, only that trouble brewed.

Lord Volos had also been no help, especially after Raziel threw a fit and accidentally strangled him in his impatience.

Lady Venia had spilled her guts, quite literally, without parting with any information.

After that, and finding out after a thorough search that neither Lord Taenth or his Brown lover were on University grounds, Raziel had taken to interrogating every single soul inside the walls that wasn’t one of Knucker’s, starting with the Reds, then the few Blacks that had survived the Brood’s first claim to the clan, as offered by Knucker himself, then the even fewer Whites Raziel had at first deemed trustworthy.

They were down to the servants now, and the only information they had got in the whole process was that Taenth and Drugum had left the University a few days before Drake’s Night, apparently without escort, to an undisclosed location for unknown reasons. The Red boy, Drugum’s assistant when Eris was on missions, had died swearing that was all he knew.

The Black Brood at the Red and White courts had been unable to find information, as well. Wherever the Halflings had been sent was definitely cut off from the regular trade routes, at least: Halflings were rare enough that people remembered seeing any, and no one would ever miss Eris’ unique coloring: Lord Kemoth had said through Knucker that neither he nor any of his whelps had ever seen any person with yellow hair, and after questioning Raziel had gathered those of his House who had survived to go through all of the University’s records in search of any other blond Halfling. They had already gone through a good few hundred years, and Eris was still the only one registered.

“Your payment, milord, will be made when you have entirely fulfilled your part on the bargain,” Knucker said, steepling his fingers. “There is still unrest amongst the Reds, and we would not wish any healers to aid them. For that, your ascension and loyalty must be henceforth complete, public and accepted.”

“Fine. Open the portal and let us get this over with.”

Knucker rose and came to stand beside him. “Our brother Oleric will assist you, our sister had to leave the court to deal with a few issues with the Browns at the capital. Nothing that should worry you, our Father has devised a most convincing display of your loyalty to us,” he said while one of his siblings opened the portal.

Raziel opened his mouth, but Knucker interrupted him with a finger on his lips. “Do not worry, we will keep our side of the bargain. As long as you do your part, King Raziel, you can count on our every effort to find and deliver your prize.”

Raziel took a step back and turned brusquely away, crossing the portal quickly.

At the other end, a much older Black waited for him. The black orbs of his eyes were unmistakable, though, and he bowed perfunctorily, before leading the way.

At first glance, nothing had changed in the White castle from when he had left it to train at the University five years ago. At second glance, though, he noticed the few servants actually trembled in place as they passed, and the faint bloodstains on the light wooden floors.

“I take it my father’s Council was persuaded of our goodwill?” he asked as they walked, and Oleric smiled amicably.

“There have been… unpleasantries, but our sister is taking care of those as we speak. Most, happily, have decided to await your arrival to decide which path to take.”

The doors to the throne room opened to reveal it packed with White courtiers, Brown soldiers in key positions and three other of the Black brood standing on the dais next to the throne, with Raziel’s mother in front of them holding the late king Tessith’s circlet of office in her shaking hands.

“All kneel to the heir of the White throne, Lord Raziel!” the porter yelled.

The Whites kneeled, some pushed by the soldiers.

Raziel walked to the throne in a brisk step, and stopped at the last step before the dais, kneeling before his mother.

“By the blood of the tree that made us Dragonkin, I crown thee, my son, King of the White,” she said in a trembling voice, and placed the circlet on his head.

Raziel rose, and faced his Court.

“All rise to King Raziel of the White Dragonkin!”

The courtiers stood up in silence.

“The White Dragonkin are hereby officially allied with the Black Brood of King Kemoth of the Black Dragonkin. All who oppose my will or theirs shall be tried and executed for treason. And to prove my allegiance to them,” Raziel took a breath, sweeping the assembly with his eyes, “I shall give whatever they demand as a show of loyalty,” he said, and stared at Oleric, who smiled and stepped closer as if to embrace him.

“We shall have your mother’s blood, King Raziel,” Oleric whispered quietly in his ear, slipping a dagger into his hands. “Here and now, so no one can ever doubt you.”

Raziel closed his eyes and took a deep, long breath, before turning towards his mother as Oleric stepped away.

She was looking sadly at him, until she noticed what he carried, upon which she stepped back, shaking her head, and the Blacks behind her grabbed her arms.

“Please my son, please, I understand you had no choice but to ally to save our kingdom, but you don’t have to besmirch our honor thus,” she begged, and fell on her knees. “Please, for thy father’s sake if not mine!”

Raziel ran his fingers through her hair lovingly, before grabbing at her nape and pulling her up, dragging her forward to stand in front of him, facing the horrified audience.

“Father would have the man I love murdered; all I feel about his killing is regret I did not do it myself,” he whispered, and kissed her temple. “I love you, Mother, and I always will. But I need my Eris more. Forgive-me...” he completed, before slitting her throat in one swift motion and embracing her from behind.

“The new Covenant is built between the White Dragonkin and the true Black Brood alone. From now on, no Halfling shall be allowed to live, and pure Whites shall battle alongside the Black Brood against all who oppose the Covenant, be they Red, Brown, or even Black or White,” Oleric announced. “The blood of the White Matriarch seals our alliance forever. Kneel for your King, White Dragonkin!”

The White Court kneeled in fear and horror, watching their King’s empty eyes leak cold tears as he caressed his dead mother’s blood-stained face.

* * *

 

 

They stopped for lunch, and were busy eating when Asa came over with a foul-smelling pot in her hands.

“Since ye’ve all decided to make me life difficult, what with two more people tagging along,” she complained, looking pointedly at Mint and Fran, “Ye are to drink this here potion and be careful while following me.”

She pushed a ladle full of the stinky liquid towards Fran, who gave her a defiant look and drank it in one gulp.

Mint drank next, and made a face. “Tastes as bad as it smells,” he muttered.

Eris looked at it with dread. “Is it, er,”

Asa nodded.

He swallowed dry, nodded, and drank with his eyes closed.

Briam sighed, and took his dose with no comments.

After that Asa finally sat down to eat her share, and presently Fran excused herself and retreated into the woods.

Eris gave Asa a long questioning look, peered over his shoulders at where Fran had gone, and looked at Asa again.

Asa munched her bread quietly, coldly returning the look.

Mint was watching the strange interaction when Fran shrieked.

“Well?” Eris asked Asa, who snorted. “Go get her, ye snot!” he demanded.

Mint huffed and stood to fetch Fran himself, but Briam held him back.

“Don’t; it has to be Asa,” he said, and Mint frowned at him.

“But why,” he started, and everything went black. “Bloody skies!” he shouted.

“Yeah, tis as bad as Lord Taenth said,” he heard Briam mutter, but couldn’t locate the source of his voice.

"What is this sorcery?” Mint asked.

“Not sorcery, witchery. Wise woman potions that have effects akin to magic,” Briam answered quietly.

“Stop yer screamin’, woman, I’m coming to get ye!” Asa finally shouted.

Mint felt woozy, his sense of direction completely whacked, as if he had been plunged into water. He shook his head and fell on his ass. “I can’t… can’t breathe,” he groaned.

“Don’t panic, when Asa comes back you’ll feel better. Just close your eyes and wait,” he heard Eris whisper, and felt a pair of arms hold him. He grabbed at him desperately, hugging back as tight as he could, Eris’ solid form serving as a safe anchor to reality.

A few minutes passed. Briam retched loudly, Eris screamed for Asa to hurry up, Mint groped around after feeling one of Eris’ hands leave him, found it firmly locked on Briam’s and pulled him closer to them, despite the stench.

Soon enough, indistinct, warped voices became clear.

“And that is why ye can’t come, damn you!” yelled Asa, stomping into the clearing.

“Oh so you can use me whenever you want but if I dare want to stay with the only people I know in this earth you’ll promptly scare me away, is that it? Well, it will not… work,” Franae said, and snorted at the three men huddled against each other. “Especially since I at least have not resorted to that,” she finished pointing at them, and giggled.

“Wha- oh cripes the one time I need ye lads to act like men I find ye piled up with yer noses stuck on each other’s beards like babbies afraid of the dark!” Asa roared.

Only then Mint realized he was nuzzling Eris’ neck in his pursuit for safety, that there was enough stubble there to tickle his nose, and that he could locate the source of the yelling. He raised his head to glare at Asa, and saw both Asa and Fran as if through looking through a tube, its diameter enough for him to see a little of each side of them.

“Asa!” Briam growled, getting up and moving over to grab her by the shoulders. “All you’ve done is leaving us defenseless against an attack; I thought Outcast weren’t stupid to do that during a job,” he whispered angrily at her face.

Asa paled, her eyes widening. Fran moved towards them, but he raised a hand and shooed her away.

“Asa, I know why you are doing this,” he whispered at her very quietly, and pulled her closer when she shook her head angrily. “I know how you feel. But if the Whites under Raz grab a hold of Fran, they’ll kill her. She has no one but us, same as Mint, who knows what happened to his family? We can’t abandon them, even if we think they’ll be safer – or that we’ll be safer – that way. Can you understand that?” he muttered in her ear, and let her go.

She lowered her head and nodded after a long moment, and Briam gestured for Fran, who was standing a few feet behind Asa, to come closer so he could check her for injuries.

“I’m fine. Thank you, Briam,” Fran breathed humbly, and lowered her head. “I’m sorry I laughed at you lads.”

Briam looked over his shoulder at where Asa had moved, and chuckled at Eris, who was touching his own neck with a stupid face, while Mint stood a couple of steps behind him.

“I would have done the same,” he said, and ran a hand over his own stubbly face. “Ew, but we are looking like bandits, aren’t we? Except for Mint, but then, maybe tis his uptightness holding his beard in, wouldn’t be caught unseemly if he were dead.”

* * *

 

They had to travel in single file, Asa in front, Mint right behind her, Fran and Briam in the middle and Eris bringing the rear.

Riding under the effects of the potion was no easy feat, and Mint had to consciously fight the queasiness produced by the restriction on his senses. The only sources of reliable input he had were the horse under him, and the small area where Asa could be seen. Everything else was a numb blur, sounds, smells, temperature, touch, or obviously imaginary, as was with the feeling that Eris was at his back, ready to catch him if anything happened.

Mint scowled at himself for his weakness. The Halflings were also affected, of course, but only he had panicked; Fran had said it was probably due to being pureblooded Dragonkin that the potion was strongest for him. Still, he felt vexed at being caught in such a vulnerable state. Not to mention he had all but bloody crawled up Eris’ lap like a frightened kitten, the shame.

As usual when it came to such things Mint violently shoved the strangely thrilling sensation from remembering Eris’s hot skin against his, the rumble of his throat as he whispered soothing words and the smell of salt and iron from his armor in his mind’s deepest recess, from whence it would never come out again, with any luck.

His mind went to his parents, and to his own relief at finally being sure of his own parentage. It was also a relief that Lord Kemoth believed him dead: his parents were recluse, quiet and extremely lawful; they’d most probably have no issues with the new state of things, especially as Mint was an only child. Most of the Browns serving his family were older folk, and the ratio of Halflings born in their lands was so small as to be inconsequential. It would be painful for them to believe him dead, but safer, so he didn’t linger on it.

He focused, instead, on the puzzle of Raziel’s hate for Eris. They had seemed such good friends when Mint had joined the University, and in the beginning Raz had been kind to him. He didn’t know what the hell had happened a couple months ago, only that suddenly Raz had stopped coming by Eris and Briam’s table and going on quests with them, and since then he had become increasingly withdrawn and cold towards every one of Eris’ acquaintances, including him.

Of course, there had been the issue with their missions, but Mint didn’t think Raz stupid and petty enough to want Eris’ head over that; he had never acted that way, at least.

The problem was that Eris had simply clammed up. Trying to ask him didn’t do anything except make him tell Mint to mind his own damn business, and asking Briam didn’t do anything either because Briam wouldn’t peep, saying he didn’t have Eris’ permission to talk about it.

Alas, Mint wasn’t satisfied with that. Raziel hadn’t just broken up his friendship with Eris, he had allied with Lord Kemoth and his children specifically so he could get his hands on him. What for? Probably so he could kill him himself. Mint couldn’t imagine another reason but revenge for Raz’s fury… but revenge for what? What could Eris have done to him that was so terrible as to warrant such hate?

Why did the idea of finding out eat at Mint’s insides?


	19. 18

A fat tear ran down Lady Vita’s pale face, until it fell on the parchment. She shook her head and wiped her chin, before continuing to write.

_“I swear to thee I had never in my life intended to disclose what follows, but tis a matter of grave peril._

_Twas in a quest we did together, one of thine last, one of my first, that the reason for my plea came about. I replaced Lord Fenric, who had been called home to take over his family’s estate, and when we were returning to Emberholm we all spent a night at an inn, the three of us women and thyself._

_I was so much in love with thee, milord. Thou respected us even when no other man was present, and thine chivalry spoke to my heart as no one else’s. I had asked Lady Greter about thee, and was counseled as to not pursue my infatuation, for thou already had a beloved, but my foolish heart wanted, needed to take one memory of thee, who would rise above us and no doubt forget about one such as me._

_So I tainted thine drink with powder of the mandrake root mixed with the stems of the forgetful flower; and after the midnight hour I walked into your room, and took your seed into me without your consent._

_From that foolish act our daughter Franae was born. I could not part from her, and thus raised her as my ward. She is now on a mission for the University, and that fact is the only reason I can hope she still lives._

_Please milord, if fate has spared thy life as well, protect her. Do not allow those who would destroy everyone who doesn’t fit their evil notions of purity to touch our daughter, for even though she was the fruit of deceit, she is also the fruit of love, my love for thee._

_Please forgive the foolish actions of a silly young girl, and heed the concerns of a desperate mother._

_Lady Vita, The White”_

She sealed the parchment and motioned to her maidservant.

“Don’t let anyone else see this. Anyone, understand?” Lady Vita said after the maid hid the letter in her dress, and stood.

“No, come this way,” she beckoned, and opened the door to her wardrobe. “This is a secret exit that very few people remember exists,” she said opening a side door to the garderobe at the back. “Now go, go!”

The maid nodded apprehensively and left.

Vita pulled her best dress out of the wardrobe and prepared to meet her fate.

* * *

 

At the Black Court, a nightmare was unfolding before the courtiers’ very eyes.

Kemoth had firstly guaranteed his and his brood’s safety by calling in the guard and giving them protective wards against arcane, frost and fire magic, and promising them safety and riches if they stayed loyal to him.

Now, the Browns never loved the Blacks they served under, but as ruthless and cruel as he was with his own kin, Kemoth had always been a quite reasonable monarch to his commoners. The peasants had decent homes to live in, and half their produce was theirs to do as they saw fit. The Black treated the Brown soldiers fairly as well, so, despite Lord Kemoth’s weird hatred for Halflings his guard quickly renewed their pledge of loyalty to him and the Black Brood, considering they honestly had much more to lose than the nobs if they didn’t obey their master, and having a child or two murdered was a fact of life – the Dragonkin did take the Halflings away as soon as they were born anyway, who was to say they weren’t killed before, eh?

Besides, the idea of having a one up on some of the haughty nobs, if not all, was an ego-boosting one.

And so it was that Blacks from a league around the Court were summoned, and found themselves harshly prodded into the main audience chamber, where the king’s four eldest children stood on the dais flanking their father’s throne.

“Kneel before your King!” the captain of the Royal Guard yelled, and those who took longer to comply were shocked to feel swords pointed at their faces. One of the most offended shoved a fireball on the nearest soldier, only to see him smile unaffected and warningly push the sword against his neck.

He knelt, as did everyone else.

The Blacks gasped collectively as Kemoth entered. His eyes were entirely dark and black lines seeped from them, digging grooves in his face. Even his hair had lost its shine; it was as if darkness was consuming the king from within. Tendrils of it moved from his shadow toward one or another of his brood, circling them as if in a caress before flashing back from whence they came.

Vollenth of the Black thanked his stars for having answered the call alone, of his own volition. Ulsagh did not deserve to witness this.

“I have summoned you, my kin, to witness the future,” Kemoth said, and his mouth was a black hole in his face when opened. He opened his arms, and his sons and daughters moved forward as one.

“The future, my beloved family, is power. My power, granted to my children. Power that does not become corrupted. Power that does not wane. Through me our clan will rule over the entire world. No more sharing with the _lesser_ clans,” he sneered. “No more cavorting with dirty blood. We will rule alone.”

“Of course,” he continued with a benevolent smile, “Our bloodline must continue to be perfected, as it has been done with my current brood. Henceforth, so that you can also participate in the glory of our rule, my daughters and the females among you will be honored to bear my seed, and that of my sons. The clutches to come forth in this way will be enhanced as we are, and Frostfire will be the mark of their superiority.”

The crowd protested, and some rose in defiance.

“Those who do not obey my orders will be executed,” Kemoth said in a bored tone, looking at his nails before motioning to one of the nobles approaching the dais, a frostfire bolt burning him into a pile of frozen ash.

The others stepped back quickly.

“Mi… milord? Your Majesty?” a woman asked. “What of our children, those who are already born, or to be born?”

“You may rear those, of course. They, as you, will serve their betters and be useful in that manner.”

“How can you be sure your… your brood will take to Frostfire, when none of your legitimate children have?” asked a man next to Vollenth, and he paled.

“Alas, that is exactly what the enhancement I have gone through, and that you see, takes care of. And even before, one of my… illegitimate children did take to Frostfire, as I am sure gossip has let you know. Unfortunately, the child has failed to survive before it could commune with me and its brothers and sisters,” he said with a sad face, and then grinned maniacally. “No matter! Those who remain are one with me, and as powerful as I am. As shall be the future clutches we shall sow on Black wombs.”

Vollenth felt a deep pain in his chest for Teminth’s fate; the boy had always been a dutiful son, despite everything.

“Speaking about that… Lord Vollenth is here, I suppose?” A young Black man with the mark of Kemoth’s brood moved forward from behind the throne.

Vollenth raised his head despite the chilling fear running up his spine.

“Yes, milord…?”

“Knucker, Lord Vollenth. The strongest of my line and my right hand… so far,” Kemoth said, and Vollenth noticed how the smile on Knucker’s face faded just enough to be noticeable. He nodded.

“Your wife Ulsagh had the honor of birthing Father’s first natural Frostfire-capable son. Where is she?”

“Dead, milord,” Vollenth lied reflexively. “Her heart failed but this same week. There was nothing we could do.”

“Have you more children?” Knucker asked, his eyes narrowing.

Vollenth took a deep, anguished breath. “No, my prince,” he answered truthfully. “Teminth was an only child. Others never took root in her womb.”

Kemoth sneered.

“A pity. Of course, you will be graced with another wife. Teminth was well raised, I believe you will repeat the good work,” he said with a condescending smirk. “As to the rest of you, the guards will take stock of your females’ conditions, and my brood will schedule their breeding. The males will be called to help in overtaking the Reds, a task already under way. Bothersome idiots…” he muttered, and stood, leaving without another word.

Vollenth remained in the Court until he was formally dismissed and returned to his Estate with a waiver of his duties at the front of battle as a show of goodwill to his loss of family.

He had always thanked his stars his father had taught him how to hide his emotions and thoughts, and even more so that day.

* * *

  

Taenth resignedly lied on his stomach so Drugum could hogtie him. It was a measure of the Forsaken clan’s acceptance of him that he was only restrained, gagged and blindfolded as they came near each of the Outcast magical gateways that connected their territories. If he weren’t recognized as Drugum’s consort he’d probably been crossing the gateways in pieces.

“Last one, luv,” Drugum muttered as he finished hogtying him. He slid a finger between the collar and Taenth’s neck to check for the give, and nodded. “We’ll be there at morrow. Until then ye stays put, I’ll be comin’ in to check as often as I can.”

Taenth grunted in response, and Drugum left, lowering the flap at the end of the cart.

Drugum mounted his horse again, and moved on to the back of the small caravan.

He had never been a man of much good humor, but now he was one tick from going spare. The very idea of the Forsaken being forced to flee their territory ate at his insides. That it wasn’t even a proper Red that had pushed them away was even worse. And to top it all, having Taenth needing to hide for his life because the sodding Blacks had pulled the rug from under the Reds was the pinnacle of humiliation for the Forsaken.

Of all the Outcast clans, the only one that had gained recognition and even respect from the nobs was his, and that had been all Taenth’s work. As soon as he had become Triumvir he had offered to open parley with the Forsaken, had seen a legitimate use for them in the city’s workforce. That had given rise to much strife within the city’s population of all classes, not to mention the three Dragonkin clans. Taenth had been called to the Red Court, and Drugum could swear his ears still ringed from the row between the Red King and his younger son, made even worse by Taenth having presented Drugum as his official consort.

Drugum snorted as he remembered Palar’s face, shocked but amused at the same time, and his own terror at that moment. Oh, Drugum was sure the old Red king would simply yank Taenth’s head off, the man was so mad.

And then Taenth said Drugum had bested him in fighting, and the king had turned to him, an eyebrow almost reaching his faded red hair and a speculative look on his face. Drugum had felt tiny for the first time in his life right then, not only because the king was taller than him (what was it with that family anyway? Drugum was sure royals must inbreed more than the regular Reds to make men so big, a couple more generations of that and they’d turn into ogres) but because he truly did have an impressive frown.

_"My son is many things, but never a liar. You aren’t as small as most. Still, if you took him down, and have not taken advantage of that…” he said in a grudging voice, “then you indeed are worthy of my trust. My respect, however, you and yours shall earn through your service. I take you Outcasts do not take oaths of loyalty?”_

_"No, milord,” Drugum said after swallowing dry, his Forsaken pride still above all reservations. “We’re loyal to just our own, but our word is steel. Except when it goes against the Code, we’ll do the work the Triumvir give us. And ye has me word, milord: no Forsaken will take on work against ye and yers, as long as Taenth wills it. And no other Outcast clan will move against Taenth as long as me and me brother Maten live.”_

It was the closest to an official marriage proposal as an Outcast would ever come with any one, and the king had, after a few minutes of hard staring, conceded to Taenth’s plans. Later, in the inner courtyard, Palar had asked them if Drugum would accept being registered as Taenth’s consort in the Red leger, to which Drugum had answered by nearly making it out of the castle before Palar and Taenth noticed he had gone. He would’ve succeeded in escaping, too, if Taenth hadn’t jumped on him from the drawbridge, nearly drowning him in the moat, the great big oaf that he was. But at least no more talk of putting Drugum’s name on paper was ever had.

From then on, the Forsaken had seen prosperity and respect as they had never seen before. For the first time they were able to buy things at the normal price – no store would sell to them before, so ordinarily they bought only from the black markets, who charged outrageously high. For the first time they were able to walk the streets in the daylight (though they only did it when work demanded, after all they were quite conscious of the good side of their horrible reputation). For the first time the city guards weren’t allowed to capture them (when they were able to) or torture them (which they did whenever they were able to capture one of them) without consulting the Triumvirate first.

The city even raised their rates after a while, since hiring the Forsaken to cull normal thievery and murders had the beneficial side effects of both terrifying the shit out of the ordinary people – which cut crime rates down – and disallowing the Forsaken from working as spies for the high-end criminals in the city, since the Forsaken’s code of conduct forbade them from talking about their work with their clients. Of course, that meant that the city officials still had no way to stop the Forsaken from taking other clients, but since they were mostly the upper-class and there was no way to stop a rich person from getting rid of their adversaries the officials didn’t much mind, especially since the lack of spying in the government businesses had turned out to be quite profitable for Emberholm, not only in terms of taxes but in not having to keep recruiting new tax collectors to replace those the Forsaken had been hired to kill.

It had been almost twenty years of prosperity. All gone now, because of Kemoth and his blighted seed. Drugum remembered the boy Knucker, the Black said to have started the trouble at Emberholm, and gritted his teeth.

He was going to give the Forsaken and the Shadow a good piece of his mind, he decided. It was time for the Outcasts to stop being neutral.

* * *

 

Mint doubled up over his horse and threw up after they passed through the gate. He could feel his stomach trembling afterwards, and laid his forehead on the horse’s neck in an attempt to not pass out.

“Asa, how much longer is this going to take? Lord Teminth can’t take this spell, he will die if you don’t take it off soon,” Fran said, and Asa looked back with a scowl.

They had been traveling for the last five days, not that anyone but Asa had much of a sense of time anymore due to the visual effect of the potion Asa had given them, and had just passed the last gate. Asa’s companions all seemed haggard in different levels, but the Black looked absolutely horrible, pasty skin and red-rimmed eyes complementing a gaunt figure. He had had bout of sickness from the start, and was now a trembling scarecrow on top of his horse, unable to hold anything on his stomach, even water. Behind him Asa could see Eris’ murdering glare under his hood.

She turned forward again and kept on without a word.

Half an hour later they reached a densely-packed forest, and had to ride hunched to avoid the lower branches. Twenty minutes into that, Asa raised her hand and halted.

Fran raised her eyes and saw a good dozen archers aiming at them.

“I’m Asa of the Forsaken, daughter of Maten, with a bunch o’ useless nobs, come to see me sister Jai,” Asa said, pushing her hood back. A long-haired Brown young man in Outcast leathers came out from behind a tree, daggers in hand. “Ye’re Beric. Good to meet ye,” she greeted dryly, and the man nodded.

“Tis her, all right. Let them through, afore the Black dies,” Beric said in an amused tone, and the others laughed, opening way for the group.

Fran noticed they never lowered their bows, though, at least not while she could see them.

They rode quietly for a while longer, and reached a large clearing in the middle of the woods, occupied by shabby tents made of animal skin, a couple of carts and people of different ages, all rough and suspicious-looking. A thatch-covered wooden structure in the middle of the clearing had a little bit of smoke coming from the roof, the inside protected from the elements by more skins sown together with twine. Slush marked the ground where people moved from one place to the other. No horses could be seen, though.

A group came from the thatched hut to meet them, five men and three women. The women moved quickly towards them, the youngest the spitting image of Asa, except for her long braided hair.

“Da! Master!” Eris shouted in relief, waving at them while dismounting. He didn’t run towards them immediately, though, instead taking a hold of Mint’s horse, holding Mint steady over it with a hand on his side.

An old Brown woman approached Fran, and offered her a berry. “Fer yer eyes, tis an antidote,” she said with a toothless smile, and Fran took it, swallowing it immediately with a nod of thanks. She closed her eyes, feeling woozy, and when she opened them again her vision was back to normal.

She quickly dismounted and turned back, seeing Briam doing the same and helping manhandle Teminth out of his saddle and into Eris’ arms.

“One might not be enough,” the third woman said, a slightly taller, older version of Asa muttered, opening his fluttering eyes with a hand. “Never used it on purebred kin, must’ve screwed up wi’ his magic somethin’ fierce,” she commented, pulling a handful of berries out of a leather pouch and signaling for Briam to pry Mint’s mouth open before she squeezed the juice into it.

“What now?” Eris asked in a worried voice.

“Now we wait. Take ‘im inside outta the snow, boy, we gots little but tis yours as ye needs it,” the old woman said, tapping his back, and he carried Mint inside the big hut effortlessly.

Fran turned to Asa, who was being squeezed into a hug by who could only be her sister Jai. She took a step towards them, but was stopped by a hand in her shoulder.

“Leave them be, girl, if ye knows what’s best. Jai been frettin’ over her sister enough that she’ll turn on ye if ye butts in,” the young man from earlier, Beric, told her. He pointed at the woman coming out of the hut towards the two girls. “That’s their mother, Flora the Wise. Ye can thank her for Jai not rippin’ yer head off later. For now, get in outta the damp.”

She swallowed dry, and followed him.


	20. 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a long time to get itself together. And I'm still not absolutely sure about the structure, but since I have no idea what to do with it and the next chapter is already being written, here this is. If you got anything to say I'd love to hear it.

The days passed. The Shadows, as it was, shared the largest hut during the harshest of winter for the heat, and thus, obviously, any illness that could spread did so like wildfire.

As it happened, Fran had caught a touch of the cold while traveling, so the entire camp spent a week either lying around on the furs feeling miserable, or walking around healing people and feeling miserable as well.

Franae noticed, for the first time, how kind Briam was to the sick, no matter their age or how grumpy they were. He never complained, and stayed up until much later than everyone else, tending to people.

His healing was much more under his control as well, thanks to Mint’s teachings. He spent most of his mana controlling the flow of energy, still much stronger than it should be, but weaker enough that it wouldn’t hurt the person under his care.

Franae also noticed that the weeks without much food around had thinned him some, and was surprised to see that he wasn’t looking up at her anymore. Instead he had grown to her height, calm brown eyes looking straight at hers.

She found she liked them.

Time went on.

* * *

 

 

Puck was small. Being small could be both an advantage and a disadvantage for an Outcast, depending on scale. At Puck’s size, it was a definite advantage, evidenced by the easy way he crawled through the narrow sewers under the prison at the Red province of Waiting Fall, made so to avoid the entry of anyone above the size of a ten year-old.

Puck’s clan elders had been baffled at first; dwarves, as well as ogres, had come from Red inbreeding; Brown children were mostly born in rude health and regular in size. Puck had the rude health all right, and he wasn’t as stout as the dwarves were, but lithe, and there was no question his mother was a Brown, as all Outcast were, even if she was from the most elusive Outcast tribe, the Unseen. So Puck had been raised a proper Whisperer, and had quickly gained everyone’s respect with his impeccable spy jobs and assassinations. He was so undetectable entering and leaving anywhere that he had taken to leaving a card with the reason for the assassination written beside the bodies, so the nobs’ guards wouldn’t wrongly molest any innocent by mistake.

His reputation was so good it was considered an honor to be killed by the Gentleman Murderer, as the clients and victims had come to call him. One White nob had even asked for his autograph before he stabbed her.

However, the war of the Blacks and Whites against the Reds and – surprisingly – part of the Whites themselves (rumor was that some of the Blacks were missing, but none had openly taken violent action against King Kemoth) had been putting a sizeable dent in the Outcast tribes’ small income, as well as driving the Forsaken entirely away from the Red lands; the Blacks under King Kemoth’s Black Brood’s orders were themselves battling openly against their enemies, in order to push the Brown populations of the other realms into their favor, by show of force, and thus the bickering and petty infighting that fed and clothed the Outcasts had come to a stop.

Hence the reason for Puck’s presence in the prison, King Taenth’s reward for Red nobs delivered to him alive and in one piece. Considering Puck’s size and probable defeat in direct battle against the Brown soldiers guarding the prison - whose guests were the local Red family members, sans patriarch, of course – he had decided to take the safest course of action, i.e., kill everyone out of the cells one by one first and free the prisoners later.

* * *

 

“Speak,” Drugum ordered quietly, and Eris lowered his head from where he sat on the other side of the small brazier, covered only by a thin blanket. They were in the relative privacy of a smaller tent, Taenth and Drugum and him.

He visibly swallowed. And then he told them.

Taenth shook his head and rubbed his face with a hand.

“And the Black?”

Eris sighed.

“He’s me friend,” he said, and raised a hand when Taenth frowned. “Just me friend. And besides, he’s valuable; if not as an ally, as a hostage.”

“He’s still dangerous, son. For what we know he might be controlled by Kemoth.”

“I’m almost certain he isn’t,” Eris said. “But if I’m wrong… I’ll be the one to end him. And ye may faith on it, Da, I am watching ‘im. No one will make me the fool again as Raziel did.”

After that, they talked about their strategy in the war to come, and none noticed the snowball rolling away from under the skin that closed the tent.

The ball rolled across the encampment and stopped near a pine tree at the edge of the clearing, where nothing could be seen, and two pinpricks of darkness made it seem as if it looked up.

It gave a tiny, low rumble.

“Yes, that will be all. Thank you,” Mint whispered, and waved the construct into nothing.

* * *

 

Franae left the hut annoyed, still trying to convince Briam she had better things to do inside, and then froze in her tracks.

Asa and her sister fought savagely with staves in an improvised arena to the side of the Shadow clearing, surrounded by both Shadow and Forsaken alike. Jai had pinned her hair flat around her head in order to take away Asa’s obvious advantage, and had just whacked her sister in the head hard enough for her ear to start bleeding from within. After shaking her head, though, Asa was able to feint and throw Jai on the ground.

“Ye burdened?” she asked, and whacked Jai’s ribs and abs repeatedly with the tip of her wooden staff after Jai shook her head.

“Stop this nonsense, you’re going to kill her!” Fran yelled, livid.

Asa whacked her sister in the head and stepped aside. “Still weaker,” she growled, before dropping in a dead faint.

The crowd clapped and cheered wildly before making way for the two healers to pick the sisters up and take them into the main hut, and so neither Briam nor Fran noticed Mint coming forward and standing in front of Taenth, King of the Reds.

“King Taenth,” Mint began, drawing his sword, touching its tip to the ground and laying his hands in relaxation upon it. “War rages among the Dragonkin. The Reds you now lead are admirable, but you have no healers, and the Blacks do. You have no magic, and the Blacks do. You have no means to see through the eyes of your people, and King Kemoth sees, acts and speaks through his Black Brood.”

The Outcast spread out, though Mint had spoken in a low, conversational tone. Thousands of years had honed their instincts to the point they could feel tension in the air itself.

Erisdar made as if to step forward, but his father raised a warning hand.

Mint waited, his face empty, as Taenth walked towards him, calmly raising his face to keep up with the Red King as he stooped over him.

“To win this war, and with it the freedom of those Dragonkin who are either enthralled into King Kemoth’s service or fleeing for their lives, you will need to know exactly what the Black Brood is capable of. The knowledge of one’s magic is vital to counter it. Have no doubt in thine heart, King Taenth, that King Kemoth knows it,” Mint continued, his pose open and relaxed, his tone serious, eyes betraying nothing.

Taenth put his hands in his waist and narrowed his eyes.

“I have fought with the Blacks, lad. Nothing you say is new to me.”

“Neither is the fact I fight with Frostfire,” Mint said coolly, and Taenth’s eyes glinted. “Till very recently, only Lord Kemoth king of Blacks and I have, at least publicly, used Frostfire magic. Now, as it seems, all his brood is proficient in it.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Thou hast the support of many, but thine quest for thy kingdom shall fail without the knowledge of how to fully understand and defeat it.” Mint said quietly, and raised his sword, murmuring a word of power that set its blade ablaze with the blue of frostfire, which immediately froze the clear air into snowflakes that danced around both the weapon and its wielder.

Taenth set his jaw and his hand moved to his own sword.

“Although my eyes do not show the changes rumored to have befallen the Black Brood, I understand your wariness against me,” Mint said, raising the blade upwards in a salute. “I can only hope my actions can prove my worth. And thus I offer thee all the knowledge I possess.”

Mint lowered his head and kneeled, laying the still-burning sword at Taenth’s feet in offering, “I gift thee all the knowledge I have of my kingdom, of all our magic secrets, and anything else thou shall request, my liege. I will prove to thee, as I promised thine son; _I am no bastard brood,_ ” he said, the last with righteous anger, and raised his eyes defiantly.

* * *

 

The annoyance of working against the Blacks, Merry reckoned as she ran on her tiptoes over the roofs, was that their Brown guards were much more invested in catching whoever was bothering their masters than the Brown guards in the other kingdoms.

She had been assigned to watch over the Blacks a couple of days before Drake’s Night, and what with one thing and another, she had only been able to leave the Black Court tonight.

The “another” thing she carried in a satchel well-strapped to her chest, and it was blissfully silent for the moment.

* * *

 

“Why, why do you do these stupid things?” Franae asked in a whisper, as she tended to Asa’s head wound.

“Ye should be happy. I was gonna beat ye, not her.”

Franae turned over, giving Jai a sharp look.

“What did I ever do to you?” she asked, affronted.

“Ye let ‘er be raped in yer place. She was right there, and ye were armed, but ye just _watched_ them ravage ‘er in front of ye. Ye were left unscathed and ye didn’t even give me sister a proper healin’,” Jai growled from her pallet, her eyes shooting daggers at Franae. “Don’t ye even try to deny it, I _saw_ it! I woulda flayed ye the moment ye arrived, if not by Asa’s mercy!”

“Tis no wonder she’s become the Unburdened and not ye, is it then?” Flora asked in a frigid voice as she approached with a basket in her hands.

“Ye weren’t there, mama.”

“Neither was ye, Jai, ye only saw.”

Franae broke from her frozen guilt with Asa’s whisper, and turned back to her duties, swallowing her humiliated tears as she lifted Asa’s eyelids to check on her. Even so, one fell from her eye straight into Asa’s.

“Ouch,” Asa breathed.

Franae grimaced, only for more tears to drop.

“I’m sorry, I… I…” she mumbled, rising and moving away under the stare of the twins and their mother.

Asa sighed, closing her eyes.

“Tis not her burden to defend people, Jai, Whites are there to heal, not fight,” she said quietly. “Did ye forget why I was Unburdened in the first place?”

“Tis not fair,” Jai growled. “People have no place who can do nothin’ for themselves. Tis worse than being a babby, a babby grows. They weigh on others but that burden gets lighter with time, what hope can someone like _that_ give anyone?”

Hours later, when the healing had finished and Jai left the tent, Franae stopped her as soon as she was alone.

Jai stared at the girl’s disheveled appearance and red-rimmed eyes with animosity.

“You are right,” Franae said in a hard tone. “And I’m tired of being a babby. I cannot ask this of Asa because she doesn’t believe in me, and the lads are men, they’ll never understand.”

Jai’s look became calculating.

“Help me not depend on them anymore. Please. Teach me how to fend for myself so I can at least not let it happen again.”

“Don’t ye think it’ll be easy.”

“It cannot be harder than living with the guilt I carry in my heart,” Franae responded with sincerity.

After a long moment, Jai spat on her hand and offered it.

* * *

 

 

Not all Browns had passively accepted the hostile takeover of Red and White lands by the Black Brood. Many villages had sided with their masters, especially as news of the brutal massacre at the Court arrived.

At the Red enclave of Sorrowstone, the peasants and merchants had joined the nobles in the castle, surviving a relentless siege for days.

Until the Black Brood arrived, and burned the castle to the ground with everyone in it.

“May this be a lesson to all those who oppose us. We will not take rebellion lightly,” said the whelp sent to deal with the problem along with other two Black mages working under them, who could only lower their heads in shame at what they were ordered to do.

* * *

 

“There are three schools of offensive magic. Arcane, Fire, and Frost,” Mint began, counting in the Black fashion: little, ring and middle fingers. “Frostfire is nothing but the amalgamation of Fire and Frost patterns through the Arcane energy matrixes.”

Briam and Fran nodded, Taenth and Eris exchanged a confused look.

Mint sighed.

“Let me draw so you can see it better,” he said, and pulled a stick out of his leg pouch, which he used to draw three runic patterns on the snow, side by side.

“Black history shows us that, in the beginning, we didn’t know how we were able to work magic. Everyone in those first days instinctively worked with Frost,” he explained, pointing at the left rune, “because Frost rules are easy to understand. Water flows, gets cold, turns into ice, which melts, water flows again, gets heated and evaporates, vapor flows the same, but in the air. Water is also a large part of our bodies. It flows inside us, as blood. When drunk it cools us by taking away our heat as it passes through our body, or warms us by giving the heat it holds when boiled. White healing magic is mostly fluid for the same reason.”

He pointed to the right rune. “Fire was the first school of magic developed by the Black Dragonkin from their innate understanding of Frost. Lord Vyser was the scholar responsible for discovering the key to manipulating magic into different patterns by formulating the theory that it responded and resonated with the mage’s feelings and emotions.”

“He theorized that Frost was the first school to manifest since it requires little energy to express itself physically, since people are naturally mostly made of water anyway. As emotional control is necessary to mold Frost into shapes,” he continued, and conjured a small sphere of ice , which stretched to become a lance, which then exploded into a flurry of snowflakes, “Lord Vyser imagined that if more energy was added to the magic it might morph into different elements. It is said he aimed to tame Air at first, due to its similarity with Frost, but a small accident changed that.”

“The story, as recorded by him, goes that he had spent many days in isolation, attempting to develop enough control so that the energy he directed to his magic could be tamed, when he was abruptly interrupted by his youngest son, still a toddler. His frustration at his failed attempts fueled his temper and, in his anger, he struck the child with a fireball, killing him instantly.”

“That regrettable incident showed Lord Vyser two things: one, that he himself needed far more control of his impulses than he ever thought, and two, that casting fire was achievable, albeit dangerous.”

The others watched as the snowflakes spinning around Mint’s arm burst into flames.

“In order to tame Fire safely and reach the levels of emotional control required for that, the philosophy of Asceticism was born. This school developed not only the Fire school of magic but also created that of Arcane magic; magic built on logic, through mathematics, instead of emotions and feelings,” Mint continued, and the flames morphed into intricate runic patterns which swirled around his arm.

“And a bunch o’ nutters to boot,” Taenth said, frowning.

Mint’s cheeks reddened, making everyone present double-take at him and then stare at Taenth, who scowled.

“Ye’re gonna tell ‘em or should I?”

Mint took a deep breath.

“The Ascetics believed in detaching themselves completely from their emotions so they could better manipulate them into their magic. To achieve that, most went into isolation in search of inner knowledge, but others… others saw magic as a means to rise in power. To actually obtain advantages from having power, of course, one couldn’t break contact with people. So they decided the first step in getting rid of their own emotions was detaching themselves from other people by”

“Torturing an’ killing ‘em,” Taenth completed for him, his expression dark. “First twas the Browns who served them, for they were easier. Then twas their own children. Obviously most of those who went down that dark path were men, but there were women too, and those were even worse, for they’d get with child only to torture their newborns to death, their thirst for power was such. In the end, those who had left to live alone had to band together and, with help from us and the Whites, destroy them lest the Blacks went extinct. We called that the Dark War.”

Mint nodded. “Afterwards many centuries were spent in obtaining access to Arcane magic through less, er… radical means, and one thousand years ago the Black Kingdom finally began to produce Arcane mages who were sound of mind, by training them since their earliest childhood. In time, that training became the norm to all Blacks.”

“But ye were trained special,” Asa asserted from where she was perched alongside her mother and sister, and Mint nodded.

“Most mages are taught the basics of each school of magic and then specialize in the one they identify better with. I liked all three, and well… my parents weren’t really much involved. So after my basic training I was pretty much left to my own devices. My father has one of the most complete libraries on Black magic, so twasn’t as if I had no resources at all, and well, eventually I knew enough of all schools that I grew curious to what would happen if I combined them. Eventually, it worked,” Mint explained, and conjured a blue flame over his palm.

“And all that means…” Eris prompted.

“That all I need to do to crack Lord Kemoth’s magic is see him or one of his Black Brood cast it. In seeing it I can see the matrix the elements are woven into, decipher it, and learn how to defeat it,” Mint said, and crushed the blue flame with his fist.

* * *

 

Merry saw the shadow before the creature jumped at her.

Now, even seasoned assassins can be caught by surprised by something you don’t see everyday, and the monster in front of Merry was definitely one of those. It looked like a very old crone and a lizard had been fused together: stick-thin, wrinkly leathery skin, long, disheveled gray hair, a mouth with one tooth open, dribbling spit as its bifurcated tongue tasted the air, long arms and legs ending in claws, dressed, bizarrely, in a housekeeper’s black dress.

In sum, it just had to be the mother of the small creature in Merry’s satchel, who was pretty much the same except it was a baby, had no tongue or eyes, and had stumpy, deformed wings in its back. As if on cue, the creature began screaming and thrashing.

So understandably Merry skidded to a halt and fell on her butt in front of it.

“Now… where dost thou think thou art going, my child?” the monster growled, and reached for the satchel.

Merry somersaulted backwards and landed with her daggers at the ready.

“If ye wants this thing back ye’ll have to rip it from me dead body, ye monster. I dunno what evil the Blacks been doing with this, but it’ll end as soon as the other clans see this.”

The monster snorted, and cackled in her face, before shaking her head at the satchel.

“Thou thinks thou are so smart, attracting an Outcast to save thee,” it said in a mocking tone, and in a lightning-fast move one of its right-hand claws grew forward, piercing Merry’s neck.

Its offspring yelled and huddled inside the satchel as the monster ripped it off Merry’s body.

“How considerate of thee to catch us dinner. Now… thou knows what happens to boys who are bad, right?”

* * *

 

 

Mint carefully tip-toed out of the hut, knowing he was probably being heard by every single Outcast in the camp, but hoping that as long as he didn’t set any of the various traps set around the clearing (Outcasts didn’t bother with guards for reasons of them being the most dangerous things anywhere by themselves, let alone an entire clan crammed together in a hut. Traps were mostly for tradition and perchance catching something for breakfast) he’d be left alone with his thoughts.

He closed his eyes and allowed his Frost magic to flow through his body, protecting him from the cold by making him part of it, and turned invisible before moving away, walking until he reached a tree stump and sitting on it after gingerly checking it for traps.

“They were lovers,” he mouthed in silence looking up at the stars, and his heart felt heavy and bird-fast at the same time in a conflicted feeling he had no name for, having never experienced it.

He remembered the one time he had seen a couple kiss, the milk maid and the stable boy, back at his parents’ castle. He had been but a child then, but one who had already learned not to ask “difficult” questions, so he didn’t. Later, as his studies progressed, he learned that was an activity reserved for the married couple in the privacy of their bedroom only, for only the most uncouth Browns would display affection so openly.

Of course, he hadn’t ever been taught anything about what drove a couple to perform such an act of affection except that it was proper manners for the husband to kiss the wife in thanks for her consent in breeding.

Such was the education he had received at home. Of course, there were books about romance in the library and those described touches and kisses between lovers, but the couple he had tried to read showed such strange behaviors he had quickly become disinterested in them. Though far from Court, Mint had grown up among men and women, and none had ever seemed as unreasonable and illogical.

He now wished he had read them with more attention. Perhaps he would be able to better understand the terrifying feelings that were bursting through him like quicksilver.

“They were lovers,” he mouthed again, and his body cooled even further, a sheen of ice forming over the wood as he finally allowed himself to see the images his mind had conjured, of Eris and Raziel kissing each other like the milkmaid and the stable boy did so long ago.

Eris and Raziel had been lovers. Skies, Eris’ father and Master Drugum were lovers themselves, and Eris had treated them both as his parents, though he had always called Drugum by his title.

The only conclusion Mint could arrive at was that the books were right, and love made people behave in illogical ways, such as betrothing without the intent of breeding or mounting a political alliance reinforced by, again, breeding.

After all, Eris and Raziel had been lovers.

Skies, Eris had loved a man, and now Mint remembered the day Asa had given them that awful potion, of Eris finding him in the dark, of his own desperation and the relief, the pleasure of Eris’ embrace, the need to touch him, so much so he had scratched his lips and nose in Eris’ bristled neck in an attempt to draw closer still, had tasted the iron that mixed in Eris’ sweat from his chainmail as he breathed.

Mint’s breath quickened at the memory of feeling a contentedness that made him want to burrow into Eris’ armor and just curl up next to his skin, his burning scent, his absurdly warm skin, and fog gathered around his invisible figure as his magic reacted to the memory along with his body.

Eris had loved a man. Had kissed a man. It was enough for Mint to feel dizzy as he fought the images and the memory of sensation, but he had to.

He had to suppress those, to push them down deep into the place he held all the things he didn’t want to feel, lest the heaviness of his fluttering heart overtook him with its terrible whisper…

“I’m just his friend,” he mouthed, acknowledging the feeling at last, a single tear freezing at the corner of his left eye. The unique pleasure Mint had felt in embracing Eris was his alone, unshared, unseen, unwelcome.

And thus it was Mint’s obligation to suppress his feelings in order to respect his friend’s.

He wouldn’t dare to touch Eris again, not after this. What if Eris felt that Mint was abusing their friendship? Raziel had already forced himself on Eris, breaking his trust. Mint would never dare do such a vile thing, and to a friend who had been so reliable, a brother-in-arms in whose hands Mint surely trusted his own life.

He focused on those thoughts, and pushed his feelings deep into the abyss of his nameless desires, the sealed space where he kept everything that might interfere with his magic or the iron control he kept over his actions, and rose, frost cracking as he moved back to the hut.


	21. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is still reading this, know that it was hard to put together. Oh boy, was it hard. I wonder if other writers have the same problem with this sort of chapter. 
> 
> Thank you for reading :D

 

Winter was sluggishly giving way to spring: the snows were rarer, and gave way to sleet and rain. The rivers began to flow more freely, and the sun shone brighter, as Taenth began planning their travel to Ide’ar Fen with the Outcast clans, and the strategies they’d use to take down the Black Brood.

It was necessarily slow communication, via crows, bats or insects; though the Outcasts had free reign, coming and going whenever they needed or felt like it, the Dragonkin and Halflings were cooped up in the camp, and cabin fever became a problem for some.

Franae took lessons in fighting with Asa’s sister every day, and for the first time began to eat according to her appetite. She refused to look in mirrors and cried every time she saw her shadow getting longer and fuller, the Red in her pushing her to grow tall and her muscles to develop.

“Why in the skies are ye so unhappy, I’d give me right arm to be as tall as ye are,” said Jai one morning. “Ye’re looking finer and finer every day, have ye any idea how hard it is for everyone to pretend not to stare? If ye were Unburdened I’d be beggin’ ye to join me and Beric.”

Franae gave her a horrified look.

“What?” Jai asked, bemused.

Franae’s eyes widened even further, and Jai guffawed.

“I can’t believe ye’ve never been with another girl, how else would ye learn to do anything and stay a virgin? I know ye White Kin can’t mess wi’ boys,” she said between bouts of laughter, bracing her knees with her hands.

Franae’s look turned into outrage, and Jai gave up trying to keep upright as she howled her laughter.

“Bwahahahahahahahahaha! Oh sweet sweet whelps are ye a romantic like Asa? Bwahahahahahahaha!” she hollered, tears rolling out of her eyes.

Franae was so aghast she ran off to the other side of the clearing, where King Taenth was sparring with Briam.

She sat down heavily beside Eris.

“Making jests of my situation, not like she’d know anything, she’s set up in life already,” Franae muttered, scowling.

Eris sensibly scooted a bit farther from her, and she noticed he seemed to be in a bad mood as well.

They watched Briam get his arse handed to him on a platter by the Red king for a while.

“Fran, do I stink lately or somethin’? I mean I know we ain’t got much water and stuff to bathe,” Eris asked suddenly after a while.

Franae stared at him.

“No more than the rest of us. Why?”

Eris scowled and then pointed with his chin. Franae looked to where Mint crouched, writing sums on the ground with a stick.

“Bloody toff been avoiding me like I had brood sow, will hardly talk to me anymore,” Eris muttered, his scowl deepening. “Says he’s too busy devisin’ a spell to be able to infiltrate the fighting unnoticed so he can see the damn Brood cast their spells, but he’s available when it’s ye or Briam or anyone else, tis just me he can’t abide by his side.”

Franae looked at the mage, who seemed entirely focused on his task, so focused that the ground around him, despite the rising temperature, was still white with snow, no doubt conjured so he could better see his calculations.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she sighed.

“Eris, no one else bothers him as much as you do. I’m going to get something to eat. Care to join me?”

* * *

 

“It has been too long already! You will fulfill your promise or the Whites shall withdraw from this war!”

The door banged closed behind him, and Knucker massaged his temple in annoyance.

‘ _He is right, you know. We cannot give him excuses forever_ ,’ the voice of his Father echoed in his head.

‘We have searched everywhere, done everything, short of paying the Outcasts to find them,’ Knucker replied in the same way. ‘And that wouldn’t work either, what with Taenth bedding one of their own. There must be a way to trick him while we consolidate our power enough that we can spend the forces needed to track the bloody ’

‘ _Wait. Hmmm… yes, yes, there may be a way to deceive our carked ally._ ’

Knucker listened, his eyes glazed over while he received his orders, and then smiled wickedly.

* * *

 

Asa was teaching Briam how to whittle the small arrows she used on her hand-sized crossbow when Drugum spotted them.

He looked at him up and down quietly, and Briam stood, in between huddling and at attention at the same time.

“Stretch up, lad,” Drugum commanded, and laid his hand over Briam’s head, nodding. “Yes, I thought twas all in me head but no, ye’re truly stretchin’ up. There just might be some hope for ye yet.”

Briam turned to him with shining eyes.

“Really?”

“Seems all that fuel ye got inside’ll be finally used up, yes.”

Briam beamed.

”O’course, this means ye needs to begin training with bigger weapons, not those toys ye been playin’ with,” Drugum said as he approached a weapon rack, selecting a huge two-handed hammer. “This’ll do for now, before I finish yer own,” he said, and tossed the weapon at Briam, who caught it and promptly fell on his ass due to its weight.

“Now that’s done with,” Drugum said, standing in front of them with his arms crossed. “I’ll ask ye some things and want ye to answer truly. Keep it hudder-mudder, too.”

Asa froze mid-carve, and raised worried eyes at him.

“Eris says there is only fellowfeel between him and Lord Black. What do ye see?”

Briam sighed deeply, and opened his mouth.

“They stare at each other more than Briam here does Milady Franae the Bellibone,” Asa cut in, eyes on her whittling. “Since one’s a ninny and the other is a wazzock, tho, they ain’t gonna do nothin’ about it, methinks.”

She turned her head toward them, and cocked an eyebrow at Briam’s horrified stare and beet-red face.

“Wha? Don’t ye tell me ye didn’t know they was poofs, if ye call Eris an arse-bandit he’ll thank ye for the compliment and Mint’s camper than a row o’ tents!”

Briam did nothing but try to shrink into himself.

“That’s not why he’s frettin’,” Drugum said with a snort. “Eris told us about the White lad and what happened, but since we seen about the same as ye we wanted to be sure, Black being Black.”

Briam gave him a guilty look.

“’m sorry, twas not my tale to tell. But for what is worth, Mint is not Raziel. He has honor. And despite how maggoty he was on his first day back when we met, he stopped acting like a triptaker quick enough, and been a good mate to us ever since.”

He thought for a while.

“I also Eris wouldn’t beseech Mint, for he treasures their friendship.  And Mint, well, I cannot be certain…”

Asa snorted loudly, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Briam gave her a scandalized look, and huffed.

“As I was saying, I cannot be certain for not ever hearing him talk about either women or men like that,” he stared at Asa, “but I can vouch he treasures their friendship as well.”

Drugum nodded, and left with a dismissive goodbye.

Briam crouched before Asa as soon as Drugum was out of sight.

“If Eris knows of this talk he’ll go absolutely spare, he’ll suggill us with a thibble ‘till we’re thin as porridge.”

 “I know. Twas needed, tis done, not me arse-ache anymore. Now, see how this notch is curved? Tis like it so that the poison pools just so.”

* * *

 

A few days later, Maten and Beric came into camp carrying a whole stag and an enormous hog. Most of the Outcasts moved in to help, and soon there was an improvised assembly line to process the hides, meat and fur.

“Now that is some good bounty, is it a special occasion or something?” Mint asked while donning leather gloves after offering to help cleaning the hides with frostfire, which didn’t mar the skins.

“We caught the stag along the river nearby, but the pig is payment for a job I did before winter. Tis Jai’s name day, so I asked the patron to hold on to it a bit further than we had agreed, make her a surprise, ye know?” Beric answered across from him with a huge, infectious grin, after hanging the pig upside down. “Only the best for her, and,” he came closer, “It hurts nothin’ with getting me Maten’s graces either, if ye knows what I mean,” he whispered conspiratorially.

Mint focused the blue fire in his hands and began rubbing the hair off the pig’s skin. In a strange coincidence, today was his birthday, and the loss of his parents weighed in his heart as much as his malaise over Eris. He could still control his body and show nothing of the turmoil inside, but the thrice-damned emotions were so strong they just spilled into his magic, and if lately it was all he could do not to cover everything around him in frost every time Eris moved closer to him, today just the weight of his stare set Mint’s frost off.

And stare Eris did, more often than not. It was as if Mint’s infatuation had made him hypersensitive; it seemed everywhere he looked, there were those uncanny yellow eyes watching.

A crow landed next to the area where Taenth, Maten, Drugum and Eris discussed tactics, and as they read the message attached to it the Red King frowned terribly. Eris and Drugum tried to reason with him, but the man stomped away in anger. Undoubtedly more bad news, Mint thought with a grimace.

* * *

 

Kemoth set his jaw before taking the stairs down to the dungeons.

Since the change nothing could make him fearful, but he was still uneasy when consulting… _her_. Alas, the White boy-king was still a problem; too many Reds had taken up in arms against the Black Brood, and unfortunately some ill-advised Blacks and Whites had resorted to allying with them, which made it strategic to maintain as many healers as possible on his side. And… _she_ was crafty; maybe _she_ could find a painless way to keep the boy amenable.

He raised his handkerchief to his nose automatically as he opened the doors to the lowest levels; the reek of carrion was impossible to bear.

“My king,” she said from the shadows, and his stomach lurched.

“I have need of your services concerning the White king,” he said, and she hissed in amusement.

“Yes. I have exactly what you need to keep him under your heel… but at a price.”

* * *

 

Taenth rose mid-feast, his cup in hand.

“I wish to thank the Shadows for their hospitality for all these difficult weeks. It is time we move on, to meet those who have reached our safe haven in the South. We leave in the morrow, and whoever comes with will be royally rewarded.”

Most of the men and Unburdened cheered. Taenth sat, and Maten stood.      

“The Forsaken is in debt to the Reds,” he said somberly. “Taenth has taken me brother into his family, and they accepted ‘im long ago; not just that, they gave us standin’ we never had. Tis time we accept Taenth as family, too. This war we fight not for money, but for blood.”

“For blood!” the Forsaken present shouted, standing.

Mint quietly slipped out of the hut, and after a moment, Eris followed him.

Eris walked around the clearing a while, and then resolutely walked to the outer edge, where mist gathered.

“I really cannot escape you, can I?” Mint asked from behind a tree, his voice trembling.

“No,” Eris replied softly, as he approached.

“Please go away,” Mint asked very quietly, but Eris put a hand on his shoulder.

“When I needed, ye were there,” Eris said, and pulled him into a hug.

“You’ll catch the sniffles,” Mint mumbled, but Eris shushed him.

“I like it. Tis too warm these days, anyways.”

Mint wanted to push him away, truly, but his malaise won, and he hid his face against Eris’ neck, just enjoying the comfort for a while.

“Tis my birthday today,” he said quietly. “I miss my family. They are not… like yours, but I miss them.”

Eris hugged him tighter, but said nothing, for which Mint was grateful.

That night, Flora and her twin daughters had the same dream, where they sat around a short female figure on a cloak, the hood hiding her features.

_“My children,” the figure said,_

_“As the years go by, the world will change even further, but you will still need it._

_You will be the poorest of the poor, the humblest of the humble, and they will still push you away._

_You will have to kill, and steal, and maim, for that is all the work you will find in this new world brought on by the Deceiver._

_But I tell you, my children, and heed me on this: you shall survive, and keep your hearts untainted. For the day of reckoning will come, and for that day you will become the sharpest weapon, honed by the brutality brought unto your lives._

_Raise your heads, for you and those you bear will be Outcast, but never forgotten. You shall wallow in blood, but will remain unsullied. And when the day comes, together, you and I will redeem our kind.”_

* * *

 

 Raziel stretched languorously, and turned on his side at the sound of knocking.

“I have to let them take you; until your father is caught we need to keep appearances,” he whispered, and brushed a blond lock away from his companion’s face. “But it won’t be for long, and you will be well-kept.”

“How do you know I won’t try to escape?”

Raziel smiled cruelly.

“Briam is too important for you to leave behind,” he said, and kissed him. “Don’t worry. Soon you’ll realize all I’ve done is for love, and we’ll be happy. I might even be able to keep Briam alive, if you are good.”

Five minutes later, Knucker closed the door behind him and slipped his gloves on.

‘The potion worked well, but tis still a temporary measure,’ he thought. ‘Sooner or later Raziel will know. We can always excuse this as dreams caused by a sudden fever then, though.’

‘ _You were quick to volunteer to this_ ,’ the voice of his Father replied.

Knucker smirked.

‘’Some sacrifices are less painful than others, Father.’ 

* * *

  

The arrows crossed the air quietly, landing at her feet in warning. Not a leaf betrayed the position of the attackers, and she nodded in satisfaction before saying a word of power.

Throughout the forest, the men of the Shadow froze where they stood.

She hobbled past the prostrating Unburdened in silence, her staff not sounding at it pushed against the ground, and stopped right as she crossed into the clearing, startled.

“Let me go, woman!”, “Bloody skies Asa have you gone mad?”, “But all we want is to protect you and” were some of the cries she could identify coming from the melee in front of her. Clusters of earth flew up as a giant of a Red man went down, begging for mercy under the whacking of a dozen staves, and a short Brown girl jumped up and down over a taller Halfling girl’s shoulders, trying to tumble her over.

She snorted once, twice, but mirth took over her and soon she was cackling wildly while leaning on her staff.

“Sweet dragons, she’s here!”

“Ye muppets, ye made us look like blitherin’ eejits!”

“Stop arguin’ and get down, ye donkeys!”

The camp went sort of quiet after that, except for a moan from the big man on the ground, which was quickly quelled by a kick in the shin from one of the prostrated Brown women.

“Get up, my children,” she said, and the Brown women stood sheepishly.

She motioned for the Dragonkin and Halfling men and girl to get up, and the short girl stepped away quickly as she approached the tallest of the men.

He put an arm protectively in front of another next to him, a blond youth, while the other two took to their sides.

“I am known as Butterfly,” she said, pulling the hood to reveal her old, battered visage. “And I, King Taenth the Red, am the first Outcast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after much much thinking, I decided this to be the end of the first book. The next book will tell the story of our heroes as they travel with Butterfly, and the forming up of the Red resistance. Lots of different characters will come, and there will be actual romance in it. Plus, dragons!


	22. Excerpt from the next book, Children of the Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read it at http://archiveofourown.org/works/13634949

“This problem with yon Black king ain’t as simple as one man wantin’ to control the world. Behind ‘im there is someone much, much stronger. A Beast, one that’s been underground since the Tree fell, and has now come back to finish what it started by enslaving the Dragonkin to its will,” she said. “Ye’ll need much more than just the Outcast to free yer people. Ye’ll need the Wildlings, all o’ them. So I went to gather ‘em for ye, but,”

“What is your price?” he asked bluntly, and she nodded.

“Aye, there’s a price. In pulling the tribes together an’ convincin’ them to fight with ye I spent too much o’ me time in this body, an’ now I’m too weak to make me journey to rebirth alone,” she explained. “I need an escort, an escort o’ champions who can protect me.”

At that point, Eris and Briam were close to them again, having come around the round clearing.

“We’ll do it,” Eris said, halting in front of them. “We’ll take you to wherever you need to be, me friends and I,” he said, waving his hand nonchalantly.

“Eris!” Taenth growled, livid, while Briam’s eyes nearly fell off their sockets and both Mint and Fran came closer, startled.

“Da, tis fine, we’ll just take her there, meanwhile ye get everything settled and we’ll meet to get the battle going,” Eris said calmly.

Taenth sputtered, and Briam dragged Eris away.

“Eris how can ye trust this woman just like that? Tis like ye and the Outcast ‘ve been enthralled or something! Besides, look at ‘er! How are we going to take such a burden anywhere in times o’ war? Two kingdoms are after all Halflings, and ye especially have a bounty on yer head!”


End file.
